INTRODUCTION

Harris County Water Control & Improvement District (WCID) No. 91 plans to rehabilitate its waterlines throughout the District. See the attached exhibit for the project location.  The waterlines installed around 1966 are past their life expectancy and require regular repair. Major line breaks have become a significant financial burden to WCID No. 91, who is therefore applying for financial assistance from the Texas Water Development Fund (DFund) program to perform a necessary waterline pipe bursting project for over 15,000 linear feet of existing waterlines.

Project Sponsor and Owner

Harris County Water Control & Improvement District No. 91
P.O. Box 90931
Houston, TX 77292
Contact Person: Fred Windisch, President
FWindisch@ponderosavfd.org
(281) 444-8465

Engineer

Jennifer M. Steen, P.E., with the engineering firm of Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc., is the responsible design engineer for the Harris County WCID 91 Waterline Rehabilitation project.  She can be reached by telephone at 713-485-8108 or by email at Jennifer.Steen@cobbfendley.com.

Financial Assistance Programs

Financial assistance in the amount of $6,000,000 is being sought from the Texas Water Development Fund (DFund) Program.  On April 19, 2024, Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) provided the signed Board Action Letter and Resolution to HC WCID No. 91. This loan will not lead to a tax increase unless absolutely necessary.  The Board will utilize existing funds over the projects time line.

Harris County Water Control and Improvement District No. 91, Water Development Fund Financial Commitment, Project #21824, Commitment #L1001741, will be closing on August 16, 2024.

Existing System

The existing water supply facilities in the District include one water plant located at 17127 Rolling Creek Drive, Houston, TX 77090. Below is a table of the existing facilities located at the water plant.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Waterline Pipe Bursting project includes pipe bursting over 15,000 linear feet of 6-inch and 8-inch waterlines along several streets in WCID No. 91. This project will be performed over the course of approximately 3 years. WCID No. 91 plans to prepare an asset management plan as part of this project.  The project will be broken into phases for design, bid and construction.

Phase I

Phase I was completed in 2023 and consisted of 5,250 linear feet of 6-inch and 2,150 linear feet of 8-inch waterline pipe bursting.  The total construction cost for Phase I was $1,400,532.  Waterline pipe bursting was completed for the following streets:

• Castlerock Road
• Pine Gap Dr.
• Saddle Creek Dr.
• Roanwood Dr.
• Hamlin Valley Dr.
• Bodart Dr.
• Ash Meadow Dr.

Phase II

Phase II will be designed in 2024 consisting of 3,100 linear feet of 6-inch and 3,000 linear feet of 8-inch waterline pipe bursting.  The estimated construction cost for Phase II is $1,280,472.  Phase II will include the following streets:

• Anvil Dr.
• Corral Dr.
• Tucumcari Dr.

PROJECT COST

The total estimated construction cost for all phases is estimated at $6,000,000.

PROJECT SCHEDULE

The following is an estimated design and construction schedule for all remaining phases:

CONCLUSION

The objective of this pipe bursting project is to reduce water loss and costs for WCID NO. 91. The current waterlines were laid almost 60 years ago and are past useful life. The system currently requires regular repair, with at least 12 major line breaks in the past 12 months. After evaluating several options, WCID No. 91 decided to replace the original waterlines via pipe bursting and request funding assistance through the TWDB DFund program.