Texas Water Development Board approves $199,700,000 to the Riverbend Water Resources District (Bowie County) for a new regional water system

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AUSTIN – (August 5, 2020) – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved by resolution financial assistance in the amount of a $199,700,000 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to the Riverbend Water Resources District (Bowie County). The District will use the assistance to finance planning, acquisition, design, and construction costs associated with a new regional water system.

The District could save approximately $4,500,000 over the life of the loan by using the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

With the assistance approved today, the District will serve as the lead funding sponsor in the Riverbend Regional Water System Project and regional wholesale water supplier to its 13 member cities. The regional project consists of constructing a new raw water intake on Wright Patman Lake, a raw water pump station and transmission pipeline, and a 25-million-gallon-per-day water treatment plant. It also includes environmental mitigation efforts and decommissioning Texarkana Water Utility’s New Boston Road Water Treatment Plant and raw water conveyance system. The project will enable the member cities to meet minimum water supply capacity requirements and meet future water demand. 

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.