Denton outlines 'one-water' plan; reuse and purchases could raise firm yield toward 55M gallons per day

Stephen Gate, general manager of Water Utilities and Street Operations, presented the first of a three-part water-resource planning brief to Denton City Council on April 1, framing long-term water management around a "one-water" approach that integrates rights, reuse, conservation and regional purchases.

Gate explained how Denton's surface-water rights are deployed and how treated wastewater reuse (a bed-and-banks permit tied to Pecan Creek Water Reclamation Facility) augments the city's effective supply. He said Denton’s full lake rights (above the 50% conservation pool threshold) total about 237.75 million gallons per day in combined allocations, but a key planning metric is the firm yield—the reliable amount available during drought conditions. Gate said Denton’s firm-yield baseline had been about 24.1 million gallons per day in 2021.

Staff outl…