NTMWD Moves Forward with Independent Review Recommendations as well as Water and Wastewater Projects

At their Regular Meeting held April 28, 2022, the Board of Directors for the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) approved the adoption of three resolutions regarding recommendations from a third-party financial management analysis of the District’s Regional Water System. A recording of the meeting can be viewed at www.ntmwd.com/board-of-directors/board-meetings/.

Continuing with the overall positive results of independent study finding that the District has reasonable expenses, appropriate balances, and has met its contractual requirements with its Member and Customer Cities, the Board approved a resolution regarding recommendations pertaining to operating and maintenance practices. The resolution included adopting nine recommendations as presented through the study, adopting four recommendations with modifications, and rejecting one recommendation due to the rate impacts it would have upon the  Member and Customer cities.

The Board also approved a second resolution rejecting a recommendation to implement a phased-in 10% rate premium for its Customer Cities, and then approved a third resolution adopting the recommendation for a formal study to refine and document the basis for a long-term premium for Customer Cities.

Jenna Covington, NTMWD Executive Director, shared, “The results of the independent financial review, our diligent efforts of dialogue with our Member and Customer Cities on the recommendations, and the Board’s resolutions will help us facilitate a productive path forward.”

Additional highlights from the April 28 NTMWD Board of Directors Meeting:

• Authorized $15M in funding for the Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR) agreement with MWH Constructors, Inc. for the Wylie Water Treatment Plant (WTP) Biologically Active Filtration (BAF) project, the Ammonia System Improvements project, and the WTP II Structural and Mechanical Improvements project. BAF promotes greater removal of organic constituents, taste, and odor compounds, and reduces the potential for disinfection byproducts. The conversion to biological filtration consists of a series of modifications at the four water treatment plants that make up the Wylie complex. Conversion will be staged over the next 3-5 years so NTMWD can continue to meet customer demands for water.
• Authorized an engineering service agreement of $5.2M with Garver, LLC for final design of the Muddy Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) peak flow storage and expansion project. Originally built in 2001, the Muddy Creek WWTP serves the growing population of Wylie and Murphy. Design improvements will expand treatment capacity and provide additional peak flow storage to meet the growth projections as well as increase reliability during extreme weather events. The estimated total construction of the project elements is more than $96M.
• Authorized change order in the amount of $1.1M with Solid Bridge Construction to address emergency bank stabilization of the Trinity River adjacent to the Main Stem Pump Station Air Burst building. This project is necessary to halt progressing bank loss that could potentially impact the facility and its normal operations.