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Council approves GBRA FY26 operations budget for Lockhart water and wastewater plants
Summary
The city council approved the Guadalupe‑Blanco River Authority (GBRA) proposed FY2025‑26 operating budgets for Lockhart water and wastewater plants, covering equipment replacements, control system work and contingency for aging UV disinfection and other critical components.
Lockhart City Council voted to approve the Guadalupe‑Blanco River Authority’s (GBRA) proposed FY2025‑26 operations budgets for the Lockhart water and wastewater treatment plants on July 15.
GBRA chief plant manager Jason Eads and division manager Eduardo Montana walked council through recent work and proposed expenditures. Eads described control‑panel replacements at multiple plants, clarifier repairs at the Lairmore wastewater plant and in‑house electrical work that reduced contractor costs. He also said the FM‑20 wastewater plant will undergo sludge‑pump rehabilitation and that plant grounds and tanks received maintenance and painting during the past year.
On the wastewater side, GBRA staff highlighted a rising budget line for disposal service tied to the volume of hauled material; they also pointed to increases in power, lab supplies and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) licensing and support. Eads singled out in‑line item 53,110 for control systems work at the Lairmore plant — including replacement of aged motor control centers — and noted lead times and parts availability concerns.
Council and staff discussed the UV disinfection system at FM‑20, an ultraviolet unit installed circa 1998 that staff described as aging and difficult to source parts for. GBRA said it plans to stock spare parts and continue engineering work on a retrofit or replacement; no final construction budget for the UV project was available at the meeting.
On the water side GBRA flagged several projects: converting imported Carrizo water from free chlorine to monochloramine, replacing filter‑header piping to increase flow capacity, and replacing dated electrical/control panels. GBRA also listed vehicle and ATV replacements shared between water and wastewater budgets.
The council motion to approve the GBRA budgets was made by Mayor Pro Tem Gonzales Sanchez and seconded by Councilman John Larson; the motion passed unanimously.
