Planning and a coordinated approach are essential to secure water and electrical resources in Texas and keep the economy humming along, according to area experts.
These were continuing themes echoed by utility managers and a state commissioner at the “Water & Electrical Resources” panel discussion at the Greater Taylor Chamber of Commerce’s Pre-Legislative Summit on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at the Williamson County Expo Center.
“This is an all-hands-ondeck moment, from municipal planners to county planners to state-level planners,” said Commissioner Will McAdams of the state Public Utility Commission. “Look, the repatriation of industry in the United States has begun … And we are trying to build out a five-year industrial policy plan based on 1970s infrastructure, and that’s going to take a while to build back up to speed to cope with the level of demand.”
The panel discussion, which was moderated by City Manager Brian LaBorde, featured McAdams; Tom Oney, the executive vice president for public and regulatory affairs for the Lower Colorado River Authority; Liz Jones, vice president of regulatory affairs for Oncor Electric Delivery; and Gary Westbrook, general manager for Post Oak Savannah Groundwater Conservation District.
At the conference, panelists grappled with how to maintain access to reliable water sources in a state plagued by frequent droughts while meeting current as well as future growth demands.
“Moving from urban areas to rural areas seems to be everybody’s plan for meeting the future needs of the state, and it certainly can be a valuable asset to consider, but it’s not the end-all answer,” said Westbrook, whose district regulates the quality of groundwater for a large swath of eastern Texas, including a portion of eastern Williamson County. “Sooner or later, you are going to reach the limit on what these aquifers can deliver to you.”
What’s more, since the arrival of Samsung Austin Semiconductor and other major industries were not accounted for in the most recent five-year plan for water, which was already predicting more than 30 percent growth, Westbrook said it was time for leaders at all levels to make some “courageous” choices. Westbrook said it was best to not choose the cheapest available water supplies, but the most resilient ones, through surface-water “conjunctive- use projects.”
“When you use conjunctive- use projects, you use surface water when its available,” he said. “During times of drought, you need to depend on groundwater.”
He added, “It costs more money to do (conjunctive-use projects) because it’s two different methods of treatment that are needed, but it does extend the life of those sources.”
During the summit, LaBorde also brought up aging infrastructure and deferred maintenance, a problem many cities face.
“Another perspective from the local level is the age of the community’s infrastructure,” LaBorde said. “Many are still grappling with how to make up for years of deferred maintenance.”
He noted the recent collapse of major infrastructure in Jackson, Mississippi, after heavy flooding, including a treatment plant.
“Just to do their entire system will cost more than $1 billion. Who pays for that? And it’s all at once. It’s something to think about because planning is key,” he added.
Another panelist who emphasized the need for preparation was Jones, whose company is the largest energy-delivery service in Texas.
“I’m the third version of planning is key,” Jones said. “Wires are paid for by the customers, so we have a stewardship responsibility. We can’t decide we are going to go out and build as much transmission as we think somebody needs; we have to go demonstrate to the (Public Utility) commission that we think it’s needed, and they have to agree with us.”
“I’m a long time coming to get new wires up in the air,” Jones said, and encouraged industry leaders to reach out to utilities as soon as possible about upcoming projects.
Tom Oney, whose LCRA produces and delivers electric power as well as provides water to a large area of Central Texas, also echoed the need for planning.
“I have learned that you can build a power plant a lot faster than you can do a major water project,” Oney said. “Planning is key and long-term planning is really important.”
To meet consumers’ needs, Oney advocated promoting resource conservation, as well as streamlining permitting processes and taking a collaborative approach to financing.
“It’s always going to be an all-hands-ondeck approach with the financing, and that includes state level, local level and private industry,” Oney said.
While many challenges remain, McAdams said he is optimistic about the future for the region.
“This is a good problem to have,” McAdams said. “(Growth) is coming to Taylor, Texas. It’s coming to Texas. We are the key, and we are going to be prepared for it, but all of us are going to have to work together. I think we are suffering from a little bit of lag, but we are going to get there.”
