1. Luce Bayou
Interbasin
Transfer Project
March 8, 2010
Texas AWWA
Southeast Chapter
“Current Challenges in Potable Water
Industry in SE Texas”
Gary N. Oradat, P. E.
Executive Director
Coastal Water Authority

2. Who is the Coasta Water
al
Authority (“CWA”)?
( CWA )?
?
► Conservation and Reclamat tion District
created by Special Act of the Texas
e
Legislature in 1967.
► Primarily serve industries an municipalities
nd
in Chambers, Liberty and Ha
y arris Counties.
► Given powers, among other to transport
rs,
and deliver water inside and outside the 3-
d 3
county area.

3. Who is the Coasta Water
al
Authority (“CWA”)?
( CWA )?
?
► Governed by 7-member Board of Direc
ctors.
► 4 appointed by Mayor, City of Houston:
► Dionel E. Avilés, P. E., President
► Kurt F. Metyko, P. E., 1st Vice-President
► Tony L. Council, P. E., 2nd Vice Preside
ent
► Rick Cloutier, P. E., Secretary-Treasure
er
► 3 appointed by Governor, State of Texa
as:
► Ray Stoesser, Liberty County
► A. R. “Rusty” Senac, Chambers County
y
► Zebulun Nash, Harris County

4. What does CWA d
do?
► Provide raw water to approx
ximately 100
industrial customers.
► Provide raw water for munic
water, cipal purposes
purposes,
to Houston, Deer Park, and Baytown.
► Operate and maintain Lake H
O t d i t i L k Houston D
t Dam,
Reservoir and Pump Station and the West
n,
Canal.

5. What does CWA d
do?
► Operate and maintain Trinity River Pump
y
Station, Main Canal, and the Lynchburg
e
Reservoir and Pump Station n.
► Operate and maintain assoc ciated pipelines
(
(24” to 108”) and facilities.
)
► Own, operate and maintain 6.5 MGD water
plant for industrial customer
rs.

6. How did CWA getg
involved in the Luce
Bayou Project?
y j
► In May 2005, COH
requested that CWA
proceed with the
development of the
Project.
P j t
► CWA issued “Request for
Qualifications”.
Q lifi ti ”
► TCB INC was selected.
► “Notice to Proceed”
issued April 19, 2006

7. Where is
Luce
Bayou?
Lake
Houston
Approximately 25 miles
northeast of Downtown
Houston (H i and
H t (Harris d
Liberty Counties)

8. What is the Luce Baayou
Interbasin Transfer Project?
► A conveyance project to traansfer existing
COH water supply from the Trinity River
Basin to the San Jacinto Riv Basin (Lake
ver
Houston).
► Estimated Project Cost: $ 30 million
00
(includes professional servic
ces, construction,
land acquisition, environmen mitigation,
ntal
permitting, and primary elec
ctrical service).

9. What are the Proje
ect
Elements?
► Infrastructure sized to transf 450,000 acre
fer 450 000
feet per year (400 MGD ave erage daily flow)
from the Trinity River to Lak Houston. The
ke
Project consists of:
► New 500 MGD pump s
p p station located on
90-acre parcel owned b CWA;
by
► Approximately 3.6 mile of pipeline;
es
and
► Approximately 23 miles of new canal
s canal.

10. Where Will the Wa be
ater
Treated?
► Water will be treated at the Northeast Water
Plant (located on the west sside of Lake
Houston), and the East Wat Purification
ter
Plant (located on the east si of Houston;
ide
Federal Road south of I-10).

11. The Luce Bayou PProject
has Regional Impo
ortance
► Over 3600 square miles
► 2 U. S. Senators
► 6 U. S. Representatives
► 10 State Senators
► 32 State Representatives
► Ultimately,
Ultimately 9+ million
people by 2060 (2007 State
Water Plan)

12. Project Backgroun
nd
► Project originally conceived in 1938
1938.
► Primary purpose was, and s is, to link
still
COH raw water supplies in t Trinity River
the
and San Jacinto River.
► Project
P j t was designed and re d f
d i d d eady for
construction in the 1980’s. Project was
postponed.

13. What is driving the
development of the Project?
► Houston Galveston Subside ence District
regulations have created a nneed for
additional surface water to a
allow conversion
from groundwater to surface water.
e
► City of Houston (Area 3) and North, Central
d
& West Harris County WA’s must convert
from 100% groundwater to:
► 30% surface water by 2010
► 70% surface water by 202
y 20
► 80% surface water by 20330

14. What is driving the
development of the Project?
► Conversion deadlines have also been
developed for Fort Bend County:
► 30% surface water by 20113
► 60% surface water by 20225
► Lone Star Groundwater Con nservation District
is implementing regulations for Montgomery
County (2015)
(2015).

15. What is driving the
development of the Project?
► Population in Harris, Fort Be and
Harris end
Montgomery Counties is pro ojected to more
than double from approxima ately 4 million
(current) to 9+ million (2060)
).

16. Is the Luce Bayou P
Project the
solution?
►The Luce Bayou Pr roject is the
optimal regional prooject
identified in the ado
opted 2007
State Water Plan to facilitate
o
the conversion from m
groundwater to surf face water
by providing additioonal surface
water to the region.
t t th i

17. How will the Project be
Funded?
► Texas Water Development B Board (TWDB)
currently has a loan program through its
m
“Water Infrastructure Fund” (WIF) which will
defer project development ccosts.
► TWDB is anticipated to have a program to
p e p g
offer attractive construction funding.
► TWDB has the WIF money now. Ability to
provide similar financing in t future is not
the
guaranteed.

18. How much water is needed from
Lake Houston? Who nee the
eds
water?
►By January 1 2020
1, 0:
► City of Houston (NEWPP) 80.0
80 0 MGD
► City of Houston (West Can
nal) 60.0 MGD
► NHCRWA 122.0 MGD
► WHCRWA 56.0
56 0 MGD
► NFBWA 34.0 MGD
► CHCRWA 5.4 MGD
► TOTAL DEMAND 357.4 MGD

19. How much water is needed from
Lake Houston? Who nee the
eds
water?
►By January 1 2040
1, 0:
► City f H
Cit of Houston (NEWPP)
t 140.0
140 0 MGD
► City of Houston (West Can
nal) 80.0 MGD
► NHCRWA 159.0 MGD
► WHCRWA 82.0 MGD
► NFBWA 56.0 MGD
► CHCRWA 6.3
6 3 MGD
► TOTAL DEMAND 523.3 MGD

20. Projected Demand v Supply
vs
for the City of Houst
ton
Total COH Water Rights

21. Projected Demand vs Supply in
Lake Houston for the C of
City
Houston
Lake Houston Supply (San Jacinto Rive
er)

22. Projected Demand vs Supply in
Lake Houston for the R
Region
Lake Houston Supply
Lake Houston Supply

23. The Luce Bayou Proje solves
ect
the problem for the Re
egion
Lake Houston (San Jacinto) + Luce Bayou (Trinity) = 550 MGD +
Lake Houston Supply
Lake Houston Supply

24. Are We Developing “New Water?
New
w”
► No.
No The Luce Bayou Projec transfers a
ct
portion of existing COH wate rights in the
er
Trinity River to Lake Houston (located on the
San Jacinto River). Togethe there is
er,
sufficient surface water to m
meet the
projected demands of the City of Houston
and the Regional Water Authorities beyond
2040.

25. Are There Other Op
ptions?
► Water conservation measur will not
res
eliminate the need for Luce Bayou.
► Other surface water supplies (i.e., Brazos
(i e
River) do not currently have sufficient
e
availability.
y
► Existing COH infrastructure (treatment plant
capacities and transmission lines) cannot
meet the needs of the Regioonal Water
Authorities.

26. 1 Lake
Livingston 2/3/4
Examination 2
2/3
of Possible 4
3
Corridors 2
Lake Livingston Diversion 3
Capers Ridge Diversion
4
5
Existing Trinity River Pump
Station Diversion 5
4A
A/5A 5
6
6
6A

27. Comparison of Preliminary
Construction Costs (2006 dollars)
Co do
Corridor 1 $ 95
$195 MM ► Construction costs for
Corridor 2 $160 MM Corridors 4, 5 & 6 are 80%
to 500% higher than
Corridor 3 $175 MM
Corridors 1, 2 & 3
Corridor 4 $470 MM
► Construction costs for
Corridor 4a
C id 4 $940 MM
Corridors 1, 2 & 3 are
Corridor 5 $355 MM within 20% of each other
Corridor 5a $720 MM
Corridor 6 $390 MM
Corridor 6a $665 MM

28. Corridor 3 selected as the least 3
environmentally damaging
3
practicable alternative.
$ 220 million (2009 dollars)
3
3

29. What s
What’s the “Bottom Line”?
Bottom Line ?
► Combined COH Water Righ in Trinity River
hts
and San Jacinto River are th only water
he
supply currently available.
► EWPP does not have the tre eatment capacity
and the infrastructure does not exist to move
the water to where it is need
ded.
► Other options for conveying surface water
from the Trinity River to Lak Houston are
ke
more expensive.

30. What s
What’s the “Bottom Line”?
Bottom Line ?
► The Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project
is the identified project to ad
ddress the
conversion needs in the targ areas.
get
► The Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project
needs to be delivering additional surface
g
water to Lake Houston by Ju 2019.
une
► The NEWPP needs to be ex xpanded to treat
the additional surface water to be supplied
r
by the Luce Bayou Project.

31. Major Milestones f 2010
for
► Submit USACOE applicatio by March 31.
on
► Complete“Preliminary Enggineering
Report”. Obtain approval b Houston
by
PWE.
► Complete
p acquisition of rights-of-way
q g y
and/or easements.

32. For Additional Info
ormation
Coastal Wate Authority
er
One Allen Cente Suite 2800
er,
500 Da
allas
Houston, Texas 77002-4708
(713) 658 9020
8-9020
8
www.coastalwate
erauthority.org
www.luceba
ayou.com

33. $2
Questions?
$4
$5
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$5
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$15
$180