City staff sought and received approval Monday to request planning assistance for reallocation of water at two of the City’s water supply sources, Hulah and Copan lakes.
The City Council on Monday approved a request to apply for assistance through the Planning Assistance to States program with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for the reallocation of water from flood control to water supply at Hulah and Copan Lake.
“For long term water supply, one of the recommendations from the Water Resources Committee was to investigate reallocation of water from flood control to water supply at Hulah and Copan lakes,” Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen said recently.
Lauritsen said the reallocation was a recommendation made in a 2006 Planning Assistance to States study conducted by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The study was requested by the City following the extreme drought of 2001-02.
“The request will be to update the study and look at reallocation of up to 10 percent of flood control to water supply at each lake, including environmental, cultural, real estate impacts and flood benefit losses,” Lauritsen said.
The Planning Assistance to States program is administered through the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. It requires a 50/50 match from the City, and projects are approved on a first come, first served basis through the division office, which is located in Dallas, Texas. The first step in getting a project approved through this program is to remit a letter requesting assistance.
Lauritsen said the application/request will be made today. If the request is approved, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will work with City staff to determine a detailed scope of services. After the scope is finalized, the Corp will determine the costs and provide an agreement for approval. The matter will then likely be considered by the Water Resources Committee, which could make recommendations to the City Council for final consideration.