Trinity River Authority explains capital needs behind proposed FY27 rate changes affecting Duncanville

Trinity River Authority (TRA) representatives laid out why regional wastewater customers are seeing larger capital needs and how those needs feed into customer bills.

TRA staff described a system that treats large flows at a central plant (about 189 million gallons per day), noted aging reinforced‑concrete pipelines installed in the 1960s–70s that are corroding, and said the five‑year capital improvement program (CIP) focuses on pipeline replacement, lift‑station consolidation and capacity upgrades. Matt Jalbert of Trinity River Authority said condition and capacity each account for roughly half of the CIP drivers and that the authority is using materials such as fiberglass‑reinforced pipe to reduce long‑term corrosion risks. "We're seeing about a 3% increase for '27, for the 10 mile system," Jalbert said, describing the rate projection tied to the planned work.

Council members pressed TRA staff on how allocations are calculated for customer cities and where regional growth is increasing flows; TRA pointed to suburban growth in parts of the DFW area and said Duncanville’s share of flow and cost is calculated from metered contributions. The presentation also described financing tools TRA uses to smooth rates, including extendable commercial paper followed by long‑term debt issuance to reduce immediate rate pressure. TRA staff said any surplus at year end is returned to customers proportionate to flow contribution.