Texas Water Development Board approves $296,125,000 to the City of Houston (Harris County) for a water supply project

For immediate release. Contact: Media Relations at 512-463-5129

AUSTIN – (July 23, 2015) – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved by resolution financial assistance in the amount of $296,125,000 from the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) to the City of Houston (Harris County). The assistance will allow the City to finance the planning, design and construction costs associated with a large regional water supply project.

The City could save approximately $2,888,882 over the life of the loan by using SWIFT.

The City is partnering with the Central Harris County Regional Water Authority, the North Fort Bend Water Authority, the North Harris County Regional Water Authority, and the West Harris County Regional Water Authority to co-fund the Northeast Water Purification Plant. The plant is being expanded to increase the water treatment capacity from 80 million gallons per day to 400 million gallons per day and will be complete within the next decade.

With the assistance approved today, the City will also be able to partner in the construction of a transmission pipeline connecting different areas of Harris County to the plant.

The total amount approved today for all partners in the project, which also includes the Coastal Water Authority's Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer, was approximately $3 billion over the next decade, with $211,000,000 requested for 2015.

The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional planning, and preparing the state water plan for the development of the state's water resources. The TWDB administers cost-effective financial assistance programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control, and agricultural water conservation projects.