Weatherford utility staff: treatment capacity sufficient now, expansion to 18 MGD paced for 2028

Rick Schaffer presented a water system capacity analysis showing Weatherford has multiple supply sources and planned expansions to meet growth. He said Lake Weatherford is the primary source (roughly 4.5 million gallons per day by annual average), two reclaimed‑water projects currently return about 2.5 million gallons per day to the lake, and the city has a full‑needs contract with Tarrant Regional Water District for bulk supply as growth requires.

On treatment capacity, Schaffer said the current plant capacity is 14 million gallons per day (MGD) and that Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) rules trigger expansion planning at 85 percent of capacity. Schaffer noted the board's expansion plan now anticipates phases 2–4 completing sooner than previously scheduled, moving a planned 2030 expansion into a 2028 completion to increase capacity to about 18 MGD and add capacity for roughly 6,000 additional connections.

He gave counts and projections: the system currently has about 15,600 connections; including projects under construction the projected connections are about 17,000; including likely future developments the projection reaches about 20,000, leaving a small buffer of roughly 500 connections before the expanded plant is needed. Schaffer said TCEQ considers each apartment unit as a connection even when a single meter serves the complex.

Board members asked how the "future likely" category was defined; Schaffer said developments that have gone through planning and zoning and have council support are included, while speculative developments are not. He also discussed wastewater capacity (4.5 MGD plant) and the need to watch redundancy issues and forthcoming EPA wastewater PFAS rules.

Why it matters: The analysis ties local growth forecasts to utility capacity and timing for plant expansions, annexations, and multifamily approvals; it informs policy choices about growth caps and infrastructure timing.