Regulations slow down Greenbelt water project

A crowd of more than 30 people gathered in the board room of the Greenbelt Municipal and Industrial Water Authority last Tuesday, April 7, to learn more about the $18 million project that will bring new groundwater resources online.

The required purpose for last week’s public hearing was to discuss potential environmental impact of the project, but no one raised any questions about that. With the Greenbelt Reservoir hovering around seven to eight percent capacity, interest was high in finding out what the future holds for water in the authority’s member cities.

Several citizens asked questions during the course of about an hour and a half, which mostly centered on how long the project is taking. The answer: Regulations and red tape make things take longer.

Greenbelt General Manager Bobbie Kidd said the project has completed one well, four test holes, and roads in the well field. The one completed well had a 36-hour test run and produced 500 gallons per minute, and officials believe that well could produce as much as 3,000 gallons per minute.

Representatives with Freese & Nichols Engineering said once the Texas Water Development Board approves plans and authorizes the bidding process for the 16-inch pipeline from the well field to the filter plant, it will probably be March 2027 before a bid can be awarded followed by several months of construction. A date of November 2027 was mentioned as when the pipeline could be completed.

Kidd said groundwater from existing wells is providing about 50 percent of Greenbelt’s current supply. He also said the lake is at a similar level to this time last year and said that if it can catch some rain like it did in 2025, the water supply should be sufficient for another year.

Kidd said eight people at the water development board have to sign off on each step of the project, they all work from home, and all work on their own timeline.

Another factor that has delayed the project is the transition between the Biden and Trump administrations. President Trump changed some of the rules the Biden administration had in place; and Kidd said while the new rules were better, it meant that Texas had to change its rules.

“We lost six months because of that,” Kidd said, and the project also had to be re-bid.

Jennifer Foster with State Sen. Charles Perry’s office in Childress said the senator is staying on top of the situation and has been in constant contact with the water development board.

Some good news that was announced at the meeting was that the authority that day was approved to split off the electric transmission line work from other portions of the project. That will allow Greenbelt Electric to get to work soon and keep progress going on the project while other portions await approval.

Greenbelt Board Chairman Phillip Self told the crowd that the board understands everyone’s frustration with how long the project is taking.

“No one is happy,” Self said. “Freese & Nichols isn’t happy. We’re not happy. But we’re doing the best we can. When you’re spending someone else’s money, they get to make the rules.”