Conroe officials say new wells, storage and bypass lines will add water as council readies pool-permit releases

City of Conroe staff reported that two major water projects are due to come online in July 2025 and that the added capacity will allow staff to begin administratively releasing certain permits that had been held since the Northwest pressure-plane development moratorium began in August 2024.

The projects identified by staff are the Silver Springs bypass waterline — a roughly 1,550-foot, 16-inch line expected to allow Water Plant 15 to contribute an additional 1,200 gallons per minute west of I-45 — and Water Plant 29, a new Jasper well rated at about 1,500 gallons per minute plus a 1,000,000-gallon ground storage tank and booster system. Gary Scott, staff member, said both projects are scheduled to be finished and operational in July 2025.

Why it matters: Council and staff have repeatedly said the city’s water pressure and capacity problems can be addressed only by adding new water to the system. Scott said that once the new sources are in service, “the city will begin releasing permits and sections for development honoring commitments previously made to builders, developers, and homeowners.” Staff also told council they intend to meet with stakeholders — builders, developers and homeowners — to coordinate permit releases.

Pool permits: City staff recommended that the council authorize staff to release three specific pool-permit exceptions on the upcoming consent agenda and to administratively release four previously denied pool-permit requests that are in the Northwest pressure plane once the additional water is on line. The three addresses listed in staff materials were 1002 Arbor Way, 23 Eventide Court and 421 Northwood Drive. Staff said the recommendation is tied to the expected July water additions and the typical time required for homeowners to pull permits and excavate pool sites.

Modeling and planning: In a separate agenda item, staff recommended awarding a whole‑system hydraulic water‑modeling contract to Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, Inc. (LAN). The city’s current system model dates to about 2016 and various incremental models have been run for individual wells and projects; council members and staff said a consolidated, system-wide model is needed to coordinate the many wells, tanks and pipelines now planned. McGuire, city staff, presented the LAN proposal and said the contract price in the engineering budget is $196,670.

Planned future projects: In addition to the July projects, staff outlined a series of additional supply projects under design or construction, including Water Plant 30 (a 1,500-gpm Jasper well and a 1,000,000-gallon elevated tank) scheduled for September 2025; replacement and redrilling of existing wells (Well 6 and Well 14) targeted for April 2026; and Water Well 32 in the Woodland Hills/Howard Hughes area scheduled for October 2026.

Process and limits: Staff emphasized the releases will be localized to the Northwest pressure plane where capacity and pressure issues prompted the moratorium and said releases will be coordinated with in‑house and outside engineers to protect public health and safety. Scott said staff would proceed cautiously and hold stakeholder meetings so builders and homeowners can plan.

What’s next: Council members asked for follow‑up details on how staff will prioritize permit releases and for written materials to distribute to the public. The council was scheduled to consider the staff recommendations, including the pool-permit authority and the LAN contract, on the next meeting agenda.

Ending: The council’s water discussion tied immediate permit decisions to imminent capacity additions while also advancing the longer-term step of a unified hydraulic model to guide future wells, storage and pipe projects.