Price of water for Mineral Wells residents, many more on wholesale service, likely to skyrocket

Water customers in Mineral Wells and parts of Parker County could see a steep hike in their water bills next year, according to a rate consultant’s presentation to city council Tuesday.
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Weatherford Democrat
By Glenn Evans gevans@weatherforddemocrat.com
July 14, 2023

MINERAL WELLS — Water customers in Palo Pinto and much of Parker counties can brace for significant increases on monthly bills as the Mineral Wells city council weighs big ticket options to ensure faucets keep flowing amid growth.

The council learned the bleak numbers Tuesday, as a rate consultant delivered projections residents can expect to result from building a new water treatment plant, other infrastructure and a new lake.

“Seven people have a decision to make,” City Manager Dean Sullivan said after the 46-minute meeting dominated by consultant Andy McCartney’s presentation.

The NexGen Strategies and Solutions CPA laid out projections with — and without — the $200 million Turkey Peak Reservoir project.

The math was hard either way.

With the lake, monthly water bills will rise from $55.37 now to $146.45 in 2024 and climb to $187.31 by 2028, McCartney’s charts showed.

Without the lake, the monthly bill still will be $75.75 next year and $108.13 five years from now.

Wastewater rates are not expected to alter significantly under the NexGen estimates.

The increased water rates will apply to customers of the seven wholesalers that buy water from Mineral Wells along with the city’s 6,600 meters.

In all, that’s about 39,000 meters.

The wholesalers provide water throughout Palo Pinto County and throughout much of southern and western Parker County.

“They will see a proportionate increase,” McCartney said. “So they need to pay their fair share.”

Sullivan agreed.

“Our rates are standardized and apply to all,” he said. “All rates apply uniformly.”

The without-the-lake needs are topped by a new water treatment plant to replace the city’s 60-year-old Hilltop plant that’s under state sanction for being unable to meet the capacity demanded by city taps and those served by the wholesalers working in both counties.

The new plant is estimated to cost $41.4 million — but Sullivan said its cost rises $201,000 every month no action is taken.

Also on the list is the $9.5 million conversion of a former natural gas plant into a single home for the city’s scattered public works department.

So is a $29 million pipeline from an intake below the Lake Palo Pinto dam to a pre-sedimentation reservoir at the Hilltop Water Treatment Plant north of Mineral Wells.

Another $520,000 is the expected expense for upgrading the lift station that pushes the creek water north.

Finally, $7 million is needed for a reuse unit, where treated wastewater could be turned into water clean enough for watering lawns or construction but not drinking.

The reuse unit is a missing component for the Stage II Drought restriction barring the use of potable water for construction and lawns.

“The numbers are a little bit staggering,” Mayor Pro Tem Doyle Light said when McCartney closed his presentation. “This council is going to be faced with some really hard decisions going forward.”

Ward 3 Councilwoman Beth Watson has been outspoken in successive meetings that the council should consider only the larger option that includes the new Turkey Peak Reservoir.

“That’s the only one that we should consider,” she said.

Sullivan later pointed out that monthly bills can be lower than McCartney’s estimates if more customers are brought into the system.

The new lake will allow the city to sell more water, and at least one of the seven wholesalers — Parker County Special Utility District — has held a moratorium on new service for about five years.

The wholesaler extended the moratorium a 10th time in April, this time until Nov. 19. Its customers, many in the Brock ISD, are not alone.

“There’s a lot of customers in this county on waiting lists with wholesale companies,” Sullivan said, indicating moratoriums exist in both counties. “They want water, and we can’t provide it.”

The rate consultant’s numbers were one of three elements the council will weigh in decisions about future water security.

Sullivan said attorneys specialized in bonds, or borrowing, and financial advisors are tapped to appear at a future meeting.

The city manager also promised an estimated timeline for all of the work will be presented soon.

No action was taken on the rates Tuesday, with a vote expected Sept. 12, according to Watson.