The Texas Water Development Board last week approved more than $18 million for a new water supply project for the Greenbelt Municipal and Industrial Water Authority.
The board approved the financial assistance by resolution at its meeting April 6 in Austin. The package consists of $8.11 million in financing and $10 million in principal forgiveness, from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).
The $8.11 million in financing will be issued in bonds. If approved by the city council, Clarendon would bear the cost of about six percent of that.
Greenbelt General Manager Bobbie Kidd said the funds will be used to develop 2,800 acres of groundwater rights the water authority acquired in northern Donley County in 2017.
The water authority has been working for two years to obtain funding for the project and came close to acquiring the funds last August from a different program.
“We actually scored 14th out of about 165 projects in August,” Kidd said, “but they ran out of funds with number 13. That’s when we changed and applied through DWSRF.”
Greenbelt Water Authority provides water to Clarendon, Hedley, Childress, Quanah, and Crowell using both the lake and groundwater sources. As of Tuesday, the level of Lake Greenbelt is 37.92 feet and is currently at about 11 percent of its capacity.
Funding for the project received favorable attention from state authorities in part because all five communities are considered to be economically disadvantaged, Kidd said.
“These people (on the water development board) are really good,” Kidd said. “It’s not political. It’s all based on need.”
In addition to the loan forgiveness, Greenbelt could save approximately $2,400,000 over the life of the loan by using the DWSRF.
With the financial assistance approved last week, Greenbelt will construct three water wells, well field piping, electrical distribution equipment, and a 12-mile transmission line to transport water to its existing water treatment plant.
The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional water and flood planning, and preparing the state water and flood plans.
The TWDB administers cost-effective financial assistance programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control, and agricultural water conservation projects.
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