Shane Saum
New member
Dear Council Members,
Please consider sending these comments to the Texas Water Development Board today (August 2nd) to advocate for them to reconsider including our wastewater projects in the initial draft of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan. We sent this out as a City, but it could be helpful to have each Council Member submit, even if you want to change the language.
The draft is below that we sent in for the City.
Here are the instructions:
"Emailing comments on the Clean Water SRF IUP to CWSRF@twdb.texas.gov and specifying in the subject line “CWSRF IUP Comments”
To the Texas Water Development Board,
We are writing to submit our comments regarding the recently published SFY 2025 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Intended Use Plan (IUP). The City of Lago Vista submitted two separate Project Information Forms (PIFs) for the following projects:
- Lago Vista Dual Purpose Wastewater Treatment Plant Project - $28,200,000.00 - Rank 56
- Lago Vista Effluent Pond #17 Rehab and Installation of New Effluent Pond - $7,900,000.00 - Rank 57
We were disappointed to learn that our projects were not invited to submit a Full Application to the Texas Water Development Board at this time. Our projects scored well, even better than others that were invited, effectively skipping over our much-needed projects.
Request for Reconsideration
Lago Vista has experienced exponential growth over the past few years, with sewer service connections increasing to over 5,200. The service area is projected to grow by over 3,200 connections in the next 10 years and over 14,600 connections by buildout as we continue to grow towards 80% capacity. Given our rapid growth and proximity to a high-growth city like Austin, it is critical to address our aging infrastructure to support this expansion effectively. Our current infrastructure's limitations, including 91 miles of low-pressure sewer mains, 18 miles of gravity mains, 20 lift stations, and 15 miles of force mains, are already strained. While not a part of this applications, we are also in equal need of expanding our drinking water infrastructure.
Our dire situation is why Representative Ellen Troxclair and Senator Donna Campbell also submitted letters of support for our application. Knowing we desperately need expansions of both our drinking and wastewater infrastructure in the immediate future is putting our financial health at risk. With limited bond capacity, finding alternative funding sources is crucial for the necessary improvements and expansions.
1. Lago Vista Dual Purpose Wastewater Treatment Plant Project
This project is essential for ensuring that our wastewater treatment capabilities can meet the demands of our growing population. The existing plant, with a permitted capacity of 1.0 million gallons per day (MGD) average annual daily flow (AADF), is insufficient to handle the projected increase in wastewater flows, which are expected to reach 1.14 MGD by 2033 and 2.67 MGD by buildout. Without this expansion, we risk significant service disruptions and potential environmental impacts.
2. Effluent Pond #17 Rehab and Installation of New Effluent Pond
Effluent Pond #17 is in dire need of rehabilitation to maintain its functionality and efficiency. The installation of a new effluent pond is equally critical to accommodate the increased wastewater flow. This project will help prevent overflows and ensure that our wastewater treatment processes continue to operate smoothly and in compliance with environmental regulations.
We respectfully request that the TWDB reconsider its position and invite us to submit a Full Application for at least one of these critically needed projects. Addressing our infrastructure needs will help us maintain service reliability and meet the demands of our rapidly growing community. Additionally, we would like to request a meeting with the TWDB to go over our application and discuss our infrastructure needs. We would be happy to host the TWDB in Lago Vista or we could come to your Austin offices.
If reconsideration is not possible, it is our understanding the Texas Water Fund may have provided more flexibility to help fund other TWDB programs and if true, we would also be open to exploring what that would look like. We would also accept any additional recommendations for funding sources the TWDB could provide.
In closing, we thank the Texas Water Development Board for all of the wonderful work that you do and for considering our request.
Sincerely,
Please consider sending these comments to the Texas Water Development Board today (August 2nd) to advocate for them to reconsider including our wastewater projects in the initial draft of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan. We sent this out as a City, but it could be helpful to have each Council Member submit, even if you want to change the language.
The draft is below that we sent in for the City.
Here are the instructions:
"Emailing comments on the Clean Water SRF IUP to CWSRF@twdb.texas.gov and specifying in the subject line “CWSRF IUP Comments”
To the Texas Water Development Board,
We are writing to submit our comments regarding the recently published SFY 2025 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Intended Use Plan (IUP). The City of Lago Vista submitted two separate Project Information Forms (PIFs) for the following projects:
- Lago Vista Dual Purpose Wastewater Treatment Plant Project - $28,200,000.00 - Rank 56
- Lago Vista Effluent Pond #17 Rehab and Installation of New Effluent Pond - $7,900,000.00 - Rank 57
We were disappointed to learn that our projects were not invited to submit a Full Application to the Texas Water Development Board at this time. Our projects scored well, even better than others that were invited, effectively skipping over our much-needed projects.
Request for Reconsideration
Lago Vista has experienced exponential growth over the past few years, with sewer service connections increasing to over 5,200. The service area is projected to grow by over 3,200 connections in the next 10 years and over 14,600 connections by buildout as we continue to grow towards 80% capacity. Given our rapid growth and proximity to a high-growth city like Austin, it is critical to address our aging infrastructure to support this expansion effectively. Our current infrastructure's limitations, including 91 miles of low-pressure sewer mains, 18 miles of gravity mains, 20 lift stations, and 15 miles of force mains, are already strained. While not a part of this applications, we are also in equal need of expanding our drinking water infrastructure.
Our dire situation is why Representative Ellen Troxclair and Senator Donna Campbell also submitted letters of support for our application. Knowing we desperately need expansions of both our drinking and wastewater infrastructure in the immediate future is putting our financial health at risk. With limited bond capacity, finding alternative funding sources is crucial for the necessary improvements and expansions.
1. Lago Vista Dual Purpose Wastewater Treatment Plant Project
This project is essential for ensuring that our wastewater treatment capabilities can meet the demands of our growing population. The existing plant, with a permitted capacity of 1.0 million gallons per day (MGD) average annual daily flow (AADF), is insufficient to handle the projected increase in wastewater flows, which are expected to reach 1.14 MGD by 2033 and 2.67 MGD by buildout. Without this expansion, we risk significant service disruptions and potential environmental impacts.
2. Effluent Pond #17 Rehab and Installation of New Effluent Pond
Effluent Pond #17 is in dire need of rehabilitation to maintain its functionality and efficiency. The installation of a new effluent pond is equally critical to accommodate the increased wastewater flow. This project will help prevent overflows and ensure that our wastewater treatment processes continue to operate smoothly and in compliance with environmental regulations.
We respectfully request that the TWDB reconsider its position and invite us to submit a Full Application for at least one of these critically needed projects. Addressing our infrastructure needs will help us maintain service reliability and meet the demands of our rapidly growing community. Additionally, we would like to request a meeting with the TWDB to go over our application and discuss our infrastructure needs. We would be happy to host the TWDB in Lago Vista or we could come to your Austin offices.
If reconsideration is not possible, it is our understanding the Texas Water Fund may have provided more flexibility to help fund other TWDB programs and if true, we would also be open to exploring what that would look like. We would also accept any additional recommendations for funding sources the TWDB could provide.
In closing, we thank the Texas Water Development Board for all of the wonderful work that you do and for considering our request.
Sincerely,
