Fulshear reports Pecan Dole water plant progress; elevated storage tank online while plant construction continues

Fulshear — City staff reported significant progress on the Pecan Dole (Water Plant No. 2) project at the May 20 council meeting and said the adjacent elevated storage tank (water tower) has been filled, tested and put into service using an interim booster pump while remaining plant work continues.

Construction status: Staff said the water plant project is approximately 76 percent complete based on days of work and about 72 percent complete based on dollars spent for the plant itself. For the separate elevated storage tank component, staff reported the tower could be filled and put on the system and noted an interim booster pump is currently used for day-time fills while the remaining plant infrastructure is finished.

Costs and budgets: The presentation noted an invoice for roughly $10,300,000 on the larger water-plant contract, against a total project budget of about $14,400,000 (figures given by staff during the city manager's report). Staff said a portion of project payments to date were approximately $4,100,000 (reported during discussion of the tower’s costs), and that final completion of regulatory sign-off with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) remains a final step.

Operational detail: Because the full plant and its dedicated wells are not yet online, the tank is being filled by an interim booster pump and water is discharged into the system when demand is low (overnight irrigation hours). Staff said once the plant’s wells and booster pumping are complete, the system will be able to fill the tank without impacting distribution and will provide more stable pressure and capacity for nearby neighborhoods.

Why it matters: The new plant and the elevated storage tank are intended to increase water capacity, improve pressure and provide redundancy as Fulshear grows. Staff framed the work as preparation for adding additional well capacity and aligning the site for future growth and safety requirements.

Next steps and regulatory items: Final TCEQ sign-offs, completion of remaining well tie-ins and commissioning are outstanding. Staff said they expect to continue testing and will complete remaining work in the coming months as construction moves from completion to operational handover.

Ending: Council members noted the milestone, thanked project staff and asked for continued updates; the city emphasized that further construction and regulatory steps remain before the full plant reaches final completion.