BELTON, Texas — Preparing for the future and prioritizing water is what the City of Belton is focused on.
The Belton City Council committed $27.38 million toward Belton’s future water supply on Tuesday, Feb. 20. These funds will also be used towards infrastructure at the plant that treats and delivers water to town.
Belton Director of Communications Paul Romer explained that Belton is right in the center of the heavy growth Central Texas has been experiencing. This is why expanding water supply is vital.
"We know that there's room to grow," Romer said. "The growth is projected and part of this plan just helps us meet that demand."
According to a press release from the City, most of the funds will go toward additional water capacity.
The City is currently contracted with Bell County Water Control and Improvement District #1 for up to 10 million gallons per day (MGD). With the new commitment, the City is adding four MGD at a cost of $24 million.
The 10 MGD of water is projected to be enough to meet the demands of growth until 2040. Adding four MGD in capacity pushes that date out to 2070, according to the City of Belton.
The remaining $3.38 million commitment covers Belton’s share of planned capital maintenance costs at the treatment plant, including electrical and machine upgrades to the raw water pump station and to critical equipment at multiple plants that are part of the treatment process.
This decision includes a tour of the water treatment plant, multiple presentations by the district about necessary capital improvements and consultation with the City's consultant.
Because of this plan, Romer confirmed residents will see an increase in their water bill when the plan is expected to begin in 2025. For now, they are in the beginning stages so the City is not exactly sure how much that increase will be.
"How it's gonna be funded is through rates," Romer added. "There'll be a rate study that will be conducted this year and they will know more about the impact of that after that rate study is done."
Romer says this is just the start of what City officials have in store for Belton.
"This is just one component," Romer told 6 News. "In order to for the system to handle more water, it will have to be expanded. That's part of what we're looking at in the future. The pipes in the ground and building those. It's important that people have roads to drive on and water to drink."