Page 340 - FortWorthFY22AdoptedBudget

Horizon Issues

Water and Sewer
SCADA System Replacement: The Utility recently completed an assessment of options to replace the current
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (“SCADA”) system used in its five water treatment plants and Remote
Terminal Units (“RTUs”) used in 130 remote sites in the distribution system. The current system has been in place
since 1987 and is reaching the end of its useful life. The project scope will be to replace the SCADA system in the
water plants and to replace all RTUs in remote sites. The assessment, including an evaluation and alternatives,
was provided to the Utility in January 2020. Engineering/design has begun with construction expected in Fiscal
Years 2021 through 2024.

Revised Lead and Copper Rule: The Environmental Protection Agency issued major changes to this rule, with an
effective date of December 16, 2021 and a compliance date of October 16, 2024. A major component of this rule
is removing and replacing lead service lines. As of June 2021, the Utility has identified 1,814 lead service lines on
the City’s side, along with 10 on the customer side. The City has already replaced 1,473 of these and the remaining
are scheduled for replacement as part of future water main rehabilitation projects, with a goal of having the
remaining lines replaced by the end of 2022. Other requirements of the revised rule include completing a service
line inventory (88% complete), changes to the sample pool requirement for testing compliance, testing of all
elementary schools and licensed daycares (a plan for sampling has been initiated), classification of galvanized
service lines as lead if they were downstream of a lead service line (staff has started documenting), public outreach
and mandatory public notification and replacement schedules, if there is an action level exceedance.

Permitting of New Water Reclamation Facility: Wastewater originating from far west Fort Worth currently travels
more than twenty miles via existing wastewater collection pipes, through the downtown area, before treatment
at the Village Creek Water Reclamation Facility on the City's east side. As west Fort Worth continues to grow,
many of these existing pipes will become undersized to handle the proposed wastewater loading. The decision
was made to invest in the future Mary's Creek WRF that will divert the proposed wastewater flows originating
from west Fort Worth. The wastewater will be treated to a high standard and either discharged into Mary's Creek
or provide a reclaimed water source for developments interested in reuse. Land for the proposed WRF was
purchased in 2011 and in January 2017, the City Council approved a contract to initiate the permitting process,
which includes applying for a discharge permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The
Utility filed the permit application with the TCEQ in March 2018. TCEQ deemed the application administratively
complete in May 2018 and issued a draft permit in FY2020. TCEQ held a public meeting in 2020 and provided a
response to comments on July 23, 2021. There were no changes to the draft permit in response to public comment
and a request for a contested case hearing must be received by TCEQ no later than 30 calendar days from the
release of their comments. Permit issuance will be followed by design and construction procurement. Under the
current CIP, the plant could be operational by 2026.

Cast Iron Pipe: The Utility has prioritized the replacement of cast iron pipe in the water distribution system, as this
pipe material is responsible for the vast majority of water main breaks each year. Cast iron pipe makes up less
than 23% of pipe material in the system, but 83% of breaks in FY2020 and 78% of breaks so far in FY2021 are cast
iron lines (including the effects of the winter weather event in February 2021). To address this issue, the Utility is
increasing pay-as-you-go funding by 18% and anticipates about $205 million to be directed towards water line
rehabilitation and replacement as part of its five-year CIP.

Weatherization: During the winter weather event, power failures affected numerous water plants. The Utility
immediately began assessing its response to the event and, with the passage of Senate Bill 3 in the Texas
Legislature, will be required to submit an Emergency Preparedness Plan by March 1, 2022. The plan will include
design and preparation of construction documents for the installation of emergency electric generators at the

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