Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water System topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hillsboro council hears water-system study, applies for TWDB funding and selects MRB Group for design
Summary
Council heard an MRB Group study identifying leaks in cast-iron/AC mains, discussed a planned 10-inch main extension and possible elevated storage, and approved a resolution selecting MRB Group to design water improvements; staff has applied to the Texas Water Development Board EAP program for roughly $30 million in phased funding.
Hillsboro City Council on a regular meeting night heard a detailed water-system study from MRB Group and authorized the firm to design the next phase of improvements. Arm Hunt of MRB Group summarized the study’s findings, saying the team used a hydraulic model and pipe-velocity mapping to identify leak-prone cast-iron and asbestos-cement mains and to prioritize replacements and repairs.
“The first step would be to put flow meters throughout the system in strategic areas to identify where most of the leak is taking place,” Arm Hunt said. He said meter data combined with pressure-plane analysis would allow staff to compute a water-loss metric and focus field leak-detection and repair work more efficiently. The study also recommended acoustic leak detection where indicated.
Hunt described a proposed 10-inch water-main extension that would reconnect a previously active Interstate 35 crossing and bolster supply to the west side of the city’s H-tank pressure plane. He estimated that reconnection would permit roughly 500 additional residential meters before pressures approached the system’s 35 PSI minimum design threshold. The study packet also included three candidate elevated-storage-tank sites and preliminary cost estimates.
Staff told the council it submitted an application to the Texas Water Development Board’s Economic Assistance Program (EAP) seeking funding across four phases; MRB’s presentation noted the application totaled about $30 million in estimated project costs and cautioned the city might not receive the full amount. City staff said they will await TWDB’s award determination and return with specific design and funding options.
On a resolution brought forward at the meeting, council approved selecting MRB Group to design the water-system improvements. The resolution authorizes city staff to proceed with contract negotiations and design work; specific contract terms and the project timeline were not finalized at the meeting.
