La Porte outlines tower, well plans and timeline for water system upgrades

City water staff updated the Board of Public Works and Safety on planned infrastructure work to increase capacity and redundancy across La Porte's water system.

Tim Warner reported signs for a north tower site (39 North) and said bids for tower fabrication and on-site work will proceed this month, with expected fabrication and placement timelines that put full online service in August or September 2027. Warner also said warmer weather could allow drilling of two additional wells near Soldier Memorial Park and described current operations: "Right now our, East Plant Plant 2 does about 65% of our pumping," and restoring Plant 1 would allow the system to "produce that 6,000,000 gallons a day" out of Plant 1.

Staff framed the tower and well work as part of a multi-year plan that includes pipeline work to bring well water into the Lake Street plant and a later phase to renovate Plant 2. Board members and staff also discussed the broader funding context, noting it has been about five years since a rate review and that increasing costs have eroded purchasing power for capital projects.

Next steps: advertise and award bids for tower fabrication and pipeline work, proceed with well drilling as weather permits, and include the projects in engineering and budget planning.