(a)
The city is located in Lubbock County in the Texas Panhandle and
is the eleventh largest city in the state and the largest city in
West Texas. The city’s population was estimated by the city
planning department to be 261,946 in 2018. According to the city’s
planning department’s estimates, the city’s population
is expected to increase to approximately 297,000 by 2030. The city
is situated in a semi-arid region that requires more water per capita
for landscape irrigation than in many other parts of the state. Evidence
of landscape irrigation demand is apparent when comparing the average
winter water usage of 111 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) to the
average summer water usage of 152 gpcd. In response to this seasonal
usage, much of the city’s water conservation efforts have focused
on reducing the amount of water used in landscape irrigation.
(b)
This water use management plan - water conservation plan and drought
and emergency contingency plan - pertains to the use of water by both
the city’s retail and wholesale water customers, and is intended
to meet the requirements of the Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB).
(Ordinance 2010-O0055 adopted 7/22/2010; Ordinance 2014-O0167, sec. 1, adopted 12/18/2014; Ordinance 2019-O0044 adopted 4/23/19)
(a)
The city water system currently utilizes three separate water supply
sources. During 2019, approximately 66% of the city’s annual
water usage will be supplied from the Canadian River Municipal Water
Authority (CRMWA). Lubbock is a member city of the CRMWA. Water supplied
from CRMWA is a blend of surface water and groundwater. The surface
water source is Lake Meredith and the ground water source is the CRMWA
well field located in Roberts County. The supply capacity of the CRMWA
system to Lubbock is 42 million gallons per day (MGD). This blended
supply is treated at the Lubbock North Water Treatment Plant in Lubbock.
The treatment plant is a conventional water treatment plant, and treats
water for the city and for six other CRMWA southern division member
cities: Slaton, Tahoka, O’Donnell, Lamesa, Levelland and Brownfield.
CRMWA supplies the raw water to these cities.
(b)
The city provides water treatment services only to these cities.
These cities reimburse Lubbock for their respective portions of the
water treatment cost. CRMWA operates a 250 million gallon capacity
raw water reservoir located near the treatment plant. The city owns
and operates a 400 million gallon raw water terminal storage reservoir
located adjacent to the CRMWA reservoir. This reservoir is used during
summertime peak water use periods to supplement the normal supply
from CRMWA. The peak supply capacity of the system is 75 MGD when
drawing upon the terminal storage reservoir for short periods of time.
(c)
During 2019, approximately 15% of the city’s annual water usage
will be supplied from a well field located in Bailey and Lamb Counties,
which is owned and operated by the city of Lubbock. This well field
is commonly referred to as the Bailey County Well Field (BCWF), and
is made up of 175 production wells. All groundwater from this source
is treated at a central location in the well field. Disinfection is
the only treatment required for this source. The supply capacity of
the BCWF system is 30 MGD.
(d)
During 2019, approximately 19% of the city’s annual water usage
will be supplied from Lake Alan Henry located 60 miles southeast of
Lubbock in Garza and Kent Counties. The supply capacity of this system
to Lubbock is 10 MGD. The water pumped from Lake Alan Henry is treated
at the Lubbock South Water Treatment Plant near Lubbock.
(e)
The city water distribution system contains approximately 1,780 miles
of pipeline mains, 11 pump stations, 12 ground storage tanks totaling
63.5 million gallons, 4 conventional elevated storage tanks totaling
4.15 million gallons, and the BCWF pipeline that functions as an unconventional
elevated storage system totaling 11.0 million gallons.
(f)
The city sells water on a wholesale basis to seven separate public
water supply systems, the City of Shallowater, Lubbock Reese Redevelopment
Authority, Lubbock County Water Control & Improvement District
No. 1 (also known as Buffalo Springs Lake community), the Town of
Ransom Canyon, Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Montford
Prison, Cooper ISD Woodrow Campus, and Texas Tech University’s
East Campus classroom. The city also sells water to the City of Littlefield
for infrequent emergency use only. The water supplied to the City
of New Deal is water purchased from the City of Slaton by the City
of New Deal and delivered through the City of Lubbock water distribution
system, for which Lubbock charges only a delivery fee.
(Ordinance 2010-O0055 adopted 7/22/2010; Ordinance 2014-O0167, sec. 2, adopted 12/18/2014; Ordinance 2019-O0044 adopted 4/23/19)
For the purposes of this plan, the following definitions shall
apply:
Water use for ornamental or decorative purposes such as fountains,
reflecting pools, and water gardens.
The amount of water available to the city within a given
year. Normally measured in billions of gallons or acre-feet.
The amount of water used by a customer on average during
the winter months of December, January, and February.
Those practices, techniques, and technologies that reduce
the consumption of water, reduce the loss or waste of water, improve
efficiency in the use of water or increase the recycling and reuse
of water so that a supply is conserved and made available for future
or alternative use.
Water use for personal needs or for household or sanitary
purposes such as drinking, bathing, heating, cooking, sanitation,
or for cleaning a residence, business, industry, or institution, except
as provided under the definition of nonessential water use below.
An extended period of time of below normal precipitation
(rainfall, snow, etc.).
Extended period of time of below normal precipitation (rainfall,
snow, etc.) that exceeds the length of time and impact on water supplies
of previous droughts. The drought of record is used to help determine
the estimated yield of reservoirs.
The irrigation and maintenance of landscaped areas, whether
publicly or privately owned, including residential and commercial
lawns, gardens, golf course greens, tees, fairways, parks, athletic
fields, street or alley rights-of-way and medians through the use
of manual water devices supplied by a water hose and actively attended
to by a person.
A water rate structure that has a rate that increases as
more water is consumed.
Water used for the irrigation and maintenance of landscaped
areas, whether publicly or privately owned, including residential
and commercial lawns, gardens, golf course greens, tees, and fairways,
parks, athletic fields, street or alley rights-of-way and medians.
The amount of water available to the city during a given
day. The amount may be limited due to the water transmission line
size, water pump size, the number of operating wells, the amount of
raw and treated water storage, the water rights owned by the city
and other related factors.
Water uses that are neither essential nor required for the
protection of public health, safety, and welfare, including without
limitation:
Landscape irrigation;
Use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer,
airplane, or other vehicle of any kind;
Use of water to spray or wash down any sidewalks, walkways,
driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas;
Use of water to spray or wash down buildings or structures for
purposes other than immediate fire protection;
Flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in
any gutter or street;
In connection with stage 3 and stage 4 drought response stages,
use of water to fill, refill, or add to any indoor or outdoor swimming
pools or hot tubs;
Use of water in a fountain or pond for aesthetic or scenic purposes
except where necessary to support aquatic and avian life; and
Failure to repair a leak(s) within a reasonable period of time
after having been given notice directing the repair of such leak(s).
A measure of water use for a city or other entity, expressed
in gallons per capita per day (gpcd). The measure compares water use
to the number of citizens in the area. The measure does not reflect
the amount used on average by a citizen.
Measured as the volume of water metered into the water distribution
system minus the volume billed for a given time period.
(Ordinance 2010-O0055 adopted 7/22/2010; Ordinance 2012-O0022, sec. 3, adopted 3/29/2012; Ordinance 2019-O0044 adopted 4/23/19)
