State official praises water group
MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas—The Region D Water Planning Group received praise Wednesday for its conservation work in the 19 counties it serves.
“I feel like Region D has done a fabulous job through their leadership in not only looking out for your own region, but also looking out for Texas as a whole,” said Kathleen Jackson, a member of the Texas Water Development Board. “I think that’s the key, that as we go through the process that we are open to folks with their thoughts and ideas. If there’s a way that we as a water development board can do what we do better, we want to always be open to those type of suggestions and opportunities.”
Jackson gave an overview of the state water planning process and how large cities have gone forward and upgraded their facilities’ infrastructure with the help of the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas, a program that provides affordable financial assistance for cities and water districts.
“We’re also seeing the middle-size communities coming in and using the SWIFT funding, which was made available by the Legislature to move forward with projects that were in the state water plan,” she
said, adding that they are using the revolving funds to install automated meter reading systems. “We know the first step in conservation is knowing how much water you have and being able to measure it. They’re also taking down funds to go in and upgrade their aging infrastructure.”
Jackson said the city of Mount Pleasant used its loan to upgrade and expand the city’s water treatment plant.
“They’re already thinking five years down the road in terms of what they need to do with their wastewater treatment plant. This is the thought process and the forward thinking and proactive behavior that you’d like to take from this community,” she said. “Quite frankly, that’s going to be the key to our success. We can have the money and we can have the technology, but at the end of the day, it’s the local leadership. Just like water planning is a bottom-up process, implementation is a bottom-up process.”
In other business, three new members were appointed to the board to serve three year terms. They include Carlton Taylor, Russell Acker and Bruce Bradley. Fred Milton, Ned Muse, Mike McCoy, Greg Carter and Gary Calvin were reappointed.
The group’s next meeting is Oct. 25.