(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 264,009 in 2022. According to the Llano
Estacado (Region O) Regional Water Plan and the city's planning
department's estimates, the city's population is expected
to increase to approximately 333,391 by 2040. 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 113 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) to the average summer
water usage of 149 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; Ordinance 2024-O0076 adopted 6/11/2024)
(a)
The city water system currently utilizes three separate water
supply sources. During 2023, approximately 70% 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 34 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 2023, approximately 18% 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 2023, approximately 12% 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 located on 5114
FM 1585.
(e)
The city water distribution system contains approximately 2,164
miles of pipeline mains, 11 pump stations, 12 ground storage tanks
totaling 63.5 million gallons, 4 conventional elevated storage tanks
totaling 5.15 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 eight 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, the City of Wolfforth, 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; Ordinance 2024-O0076 adopted 6/11/2024)
For the purposes of this plan, the following definitions shall
apply:
Aesthetic water use.
Water use for ornamental or decorative purposes such as fountains,
reflecting pools, and water gardens.
Annual water supply.
The amount of water available to the city within a given
year. Normally measured in billions of gallons or acre-feet.
Average winter consumption.
The amount of water used by a customer on average during
the winter months of December, January, and February.
Conservation.
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.
Domestic water 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.
Drought.
An extended period of time of below normal precipitation
(rainfall, snow, etc.).
Drought of record.
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.
Gpcd calculation.
The total average daily amount of water diverted or pumped
for treatment by potable uses divided by the population served.
Hand watering.
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.
Increasing block rate.
A water rate structure that has a volume rate that increases
as more water is consumed.
Landscape irrigation or landscape irrigation use.
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.
Maximum daily supply.
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.
Nonessential water use.
Water uses that are neither essential nor required for the
protection of public health, safety, and welfare, including without
limitation:
(2)
Use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer,
airplane, or other vehicle of any kind;
(3)
Use of water to spray or wash down any sidewalks, walkways,
driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas;
(4)
Use of water to spray or wash down buildings or structures for
purposes other than immediate fire protection;
(5)
Flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in
any gutter or street;
(6)
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;
(7)
Use of water in a fountain or pond for aesthetic or scenic purposes
except where necessary to support aquatic and avian life; and
(8)
Failure to repair a leak(s) within a reasonable period of time
after having been given notice directing the repair of such leak(s).
Per capita water use.
A measure of water use for a city or other entity (inclusive
of nonresidential uses such as commercial water use), 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.
Water loss.
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; Ordinance 2024-O0076 adopted 6/11/2024)