Weatherford leaders outline phased water‑plant expansion and seek up to $51 million in grants

City utility staff presented a multi‑phase plan to expand Weatherford’s water‑treatment plant and pursue state grant funding during the council’s April 17 retreat.

Rick Schaffer, who led the presentation, said the plant now has "a rated capacity of 14,000,000 gallons per day or MGD," and that staff advanced the schedule to complete the first expansion earlier than previously planned. The plan is staged so the city can increase capacity in steps while building future redundancy and reliability.

Schaffer said Phase 1, a set of granular activated carbon (GAC) contactors installed in 2024, improved water aesthetics and removed more than 97% of targeted taste-and-odor compounds. He added that the GAC work also positions the city ahead of future PFAS rules.

"Weatherford will be eligible for up to $21,000,000 and 100% grant funding" under House Bill 500, Schaffer said, noting that the development board recently issued an application and updated eligibility. Schaffer also said the city submitted an application for a different state program that could provide up to $30,000,000 to pay for additional GAC components.

Staff described the cost and schedule implications: phases 2–4 (filter process building, raw water pump station and pipeline, clear well and support systems) carry the bulk of the work; current estimates for those phases are in the hundreds of millions of dollars range when fully built out. Schaffer told council members that completing final design and demonstrating shovel‑ready status will increase the city’s competitiveness for the grant dollars.

Council members pressed staff on schedule, grant deadlines and how grant timing might affect the utility board’s procurement and award schedule. Schaffer said the HB 500 application is due July 30 and that the city’s design timeline aligns with that schedule, but warned that development‑board timing could delay the utility‑board award process.

What’s next: staff will pursue the HB 500 application and the $30M PFAS‑focused grant, complete final designs for the pump station and return with funding‑package recommendations and any contingent schedule changes.