Part 1 in Water Series

By Tim Fleischer

Editor-in-Chief

Think of it as a water savings account that you can add to during times of excess and draw upon during times of need.

This was the theme of panel discussion on Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR), during the 22nd annual Bell County Water Symposium Nov. 8 at the Cadence Bank Center, hosted by Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District (CUWCD).

Representatives from Fort Cavazos, City of Temple, Bell County government, Texas Water Development Board discussed two possible ASR projects for Bell County.

A coalition of eight entities began the research, according to Bell County Judge David Blackburn, on whether an ASR was feasible in the county.

“There is no single solution to our water challenges,” Judge Blackburn said. “We will need multiple strategies to have enough water for our children and grandchildren. We will have to do what our grandparents did many years ago when they formed organizations such as the Brazos River Authority.”

ASR is a project involving the injection of water into a geologic formation for the purpose of subsequent recovery and beneficial use by the project operator.

Aquifer recharge (AR) is the intentional recharge of an aquifer by means of an injection well.

Dr. Steve Young explained that the two approaches allow water providers to “regulate the seasonal variability in their water supply. The water in a lake fluctuates. Water suppliers have partnered with storage technologies to increase the duration that water is available.” Young is a professional engineer and geoscientist with INTERA, Inc.

“When it rains,” he explained, “you have a lot of water, then when it stops, it either evaporates or flows downstream. These projects allow you to increase the time that the water is available to us.”

Because this is a relatively new approach to meeting water needs, there are not many programs statewide. In fact, there are only 11 projects that are operational in Texas. Four of these are ASR and seven are AR. There are five projects in pilot testing while three others have authorization to go forward with plans.

The existing projects range in scale from 3,000 acre feet in Kerrville to 183,000 acre feet for a project in San Antonio.

Senate Bill 2379 to allow for a project in Williamson County was vetoed because it would require an injection well into the Edwards Aquifer, something that is not allowed by Edwards Aquifer rules to protect the integrity of the aquifer.

For any projects in an area that has a Groundwater Control District (like CUWCD), there are additional reporting requirements.

Bell County is considering two ASR projects, one at Fort Cavazos and one for the City of Temple. The coalition began with a list of 14 candidate project sites and through the process of elimination (considering cost vs. benefit), narrowed the list down to two.

The group considered if there is excess water available, the nearby storage capacity and the costs to transmit the excess water to the storage.

Fort Cavazos and Bell County Water CID #1 are pursuing a project that could store between 600 million and 700 million gallons of water. “That is enough to provide three to four months of water for the post,” said Brian Dosa, PE, Director of Public Works at Fort Cavazos.

Bell Co WCID #1 provides water to Fort Cavazos. 

The project is at a point where a contract will be awarded to test the aquifer to “see what is there to perhaps put an ASR technology in place.”

Richar Garrett with WCID #1 said that his district provides 95% of the water to Fort Cavazos. It comes from Lake Belton. “We have a large main near the site,” he said, “so we are looking to see if it would be economically feasible to move forward.”

He expects the testing phase to last six months.

The water would be put in the Lower Trinity.

The City of Temple is in Phase 2 of a feasibility study of  a program to inject reclaimed treated water into the aquifer to serve the “very healthy industrial growth in our community.”

The project would be located in the southeast area of Temple. “Our industrial users need processed water. There is a high demand. We are looking at diversifying our resources,” he said. One of those solutions is using the treated water from the city wastewater treatment plant and injecting it into a lower aquifer for future use. “The challenge is how do you permit that process,” he said. “That pathway doesn’t completely exist today. As we continue to move forward, we can forge the path with a nice abundant source to put in our diversification portfolio.”

Rick Kasberg with KPA Engineers is working with the City of Temple on the feasibility study. “There are thousands of point of data that we are looking at,” Kasberg said.

He said that the city might be able to reclaim 4.2 million gallons per day about 65% of the year.

“With that flow rate, we can put 3,100-acre feet beneath the ground,” Kasberg said. “That is 15% of the water Temple uses on an average day.”

“It is promising,” he said. “There is a lot of work left to do with TCEQ but it is looking favorable.”

David Smith told the audience that he has “made my whole career with aquifer storage and recovery.” Projects that he has worked on have provided water to more than 5 million people. “Everyone needs a diversified portfolio for their water supply.”