Page 172 - City of Fort Worth Budget Book

Enterprise Funds Water and Sewer

The Water Department is responsible for providing safe, clean drinking water to Fort Worth residents and
customer cities. The Sewer Department collects, monitors, treats and processes domestic and industrial
waterborne waste from Fort Worth and other contracting communities. The Reclaimed Water Department
provides highly treated effluent from Fort Worth’s water reclamation facility. Reclaimed water is distributed through
a separate system to wholesale and retail reclaimed water customers for non-potable uses such as irrigation and
industrial cooling towers.

The Customer Care Division performs metering services as well as billing and collection functions for water,
sewer, reclaimed water, stormwater, environmental, and solid waste services for wholesale and retail customers. It
also processes orders for new services, collects delinquent payments and investigates complaints. The division
also manages programs to encourage efficient water use, provides educational programming to the public, and is
responsible for internal and external communications. In addition, the division provides backflow prevention
services as well as industrial pretreatment by permitting and monitoring businesses and industries that produce a
high level of concentrated waste to reduce the impact to the sewer system. The division also coordinates
development activities for the Utility with the Development Services Department.
The Management Services Division develops and monitors operating budgets and capital improvement programs,
determines rates, and coordinates all fiscal and administrative functions for the Utility, including procurement
activities and capital improvement project accounting. The division also provides capital project support,
organizational development, information technology services, environmental health and safety program
administration, security and emergency planning, records management and workforce development.

The Strategic Operations Division is responsible for developing a master plan for all water and sewer capital
projects. This division provides infrastructure and facility planning, asset management, technical support, and
SCADA systems management for the Utility. The regulatory affairs section serves as the departmental liaison on
all intergovernmental and regulatory issues related to water and sewer services. The laboratory section provides
water and sewer sampling and laboratory analysis.

The Capital Delivery Division is responsible for engineering and construction of facilities and pipeline projects
including water and sewer mains, new development infrastructure, treatment facilities, storage tanks, pump
stations, and lift stations. The division provides in-house design, construction inspection services and coordination
of projects with the City’s street bond program.

The Plant Operations Division treats and distributes a safe water supply to meet customer needs and operates
five water treatment plants and various water storage and pumping facilities located throughout the city. It is
responsible for the metering of all the wholesale customer cities’ water and sewer services. The division also
provides wastewater treatment services for Fort Worth and its customer cities through a regional water
reclamation facility. Furthermore, this facility dewaters and treats Class AB biosolids for beneficial re-use. The
facility sells biogas produced in its onsite digesters for RIN credit to MAS Energy (Renovar). The water
reclamation facility generates about 45% of its energy using natural gas turbines.

The Field Operations Division is responsible for the maintenance and repair of more than 7,000 miles of water
distribution and sewer collection system pipelines. The division handles main break and leak repairs, line location
services, sewer overflows, inspection and cleaning of sewer lines, water and sewer taps, and fire hydrant and
valve maintenance.

FY2024 DISCUSSION AND SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

The Recommended Budget:
• Increases by $271,328 and two APs to assist with leak investigations whose cost is offset by Pay-Go

• Increases by $249,708 and two APs to assist with development requested studies whose cost is offset by
Pay-Go

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