Parker County officials outline plan for regional public utility agency to address mounting groundwater stress

Commissioner Larry Walden told the Weatherford City Council that a multi-year county effort is moving from study to action with a proposal to form a Parker County Public Utility Agency to address long-term water supply shortages across the county.

“There's a great need for water projects in Parker County,” Walden said, describing the Hydrology 2050 committee that recommended the PUA. Consultant Andrew Franco of Friese & Nichols summarized technical findings, showing more than 15,000 registered wells in Parker County and declining groundwater yields that make current well supply unsustainable in the long term. "We're stressing our aquifer and we're gonna reach a point where this is no longer a sustainable solution for the county," Franco said.

Franco laid out the mechanics of a locally formed PUA — a board with staggered four-year terms, membership rules that require unanimous approval for later joiners, and a 25% cap on weighted voting for large contributors. He said draft budget guidance shows initial annual operating overhead near $300,000 without a general manager and an estimated $365,000 in annual cost-share across prospective members, with Weatherford (population over 20,000) proposed at a $50,000 annual share.

Council members and City Manager James Hotop discussed Weatherford’s existing raw-water capacity and the possible financial and governance safeguards for the city. Hotop emphasized the potential benefits of early participation: shared infrastructure costs and improved access to state and federal funding when pursuing large regional projects. Walden and Franco said the plan is to complete formation steps this year with a seeded board by year-end and to start more substantive project work in 2027.

The presentation did not include formal action tonight; staff said the council would see the item again in August or September for consideration and potential concurrent ordinances to form the agency.