Johnson County Special Utility District
Water Conservation Plan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section
1.
2.
3.
4.
Description
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose
1.2 History
Page
1
1-2
UTILITY PROFILE
2.1 Existing Water Supplies
2.2 Wholesale Customers
2.3 Water Distribution System
Schematic Diagram
2.4 Water Storage Tanks & Pump Stations
2.5 Wastewater System
2.6 Lake Granbury Surface Water and Treatment System
2.7 Brazos G Plan
2.8 Region C Plan
3
3-4
4-5
5a
6-7
8
9
9
10
HISTORICAL AND PROJECTED WATER USE
3.1 Historical & Growth Projections
3.2 Projected Water Demands
11-13
14
CONSERVATION GOALS
4.1 Specification of Goals
4.2 Metering and Records
4.3 Continuing Education
4.4 Water Rates
4.5 Other Conservation Measures
4.6 Implementation of Plan
15
16-18
19
20
21-22
23
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1
Purpose
Regulations promulgated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
(TCEQ) require a water conservation plan to be developed by wholesale water
suppliers. The objective of a water conservation plan is to conserve water supplies to
reduce the quantity of water that facilities must handle.
JCSUD uses its best efforts to implement a Water Conservation Plan in order to
promote the conservation of available water supply, and/or to protect the integrity of
the water supply facility, and to protect and preserve public health.
Johnson County Special Utility District (JCSUD) maintains an updated Water
Conservation Plan. In 1990, the Johnson County Rural Water Supply Corporation
originally developed a Water Conservation/Drought Contingency Plan to meet Texas
Administrative Code (TAC) Title 30, Chapter 288 requirements and was submitted to
the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) for approval. TWDB approved the
plan.. The Board of Directors passed a resolution on July 11, 1990 putting the plan in
place. Likewise, in 2002, 2006 and 2009, a resolution was adopted for accepting the
updated plan.
The service area of the JCSUD consists of approximately 348 square miles in
Johnson, Tarrant, Hill, and Ellis Counties, Texas. JCSUD covers about three-fourths
of unincorporated Johnson County. Over 95% of the customers are in Johnson
County. The service area has a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity originally
issued in November 1979. This document essentially is a franchise authorization,
which allows only JCSUD to provide water service within this area. Currently the
system provides about 30% ground water from existing wells and 70% from surface
water. The surface water comes from Lake Granbury in Hood County. JCSUD has
entered into a long-term raw water contract for 13,210 acre-feet of water.
1.2
History
The District began as a member-owned, non-profit water supply corporation. The
Johnson County Water Supply Corporation, organized and chartered under the laws
of the State of Texas as a non-profit corporation, began providing water service to its
initial members in 1965. At that time, there were 305 water users. Funds for
providing the service were made available to the Corporation through a loan from the
Farmers Home Administration (FmHA).
In 1984, the Corporation had 5,116 rural families being served and the growth trend
for the county continued. In 1985, the Corporation, along with a smaller neighboring
water system, Johnson County Fresh Water District, recognized that the supply of
well water would not continue to sustain the growth in Johnson County.
Consequently, the Brazos River Authority was asked to do a feasibility study on
Water Conservation Plan Johnson County SUD
1
transporting surface water from Lake Granbury to the two systems in Johnson
County, some 24 miles away. The need for surface water as a more reliable source
was becoming increasingly urgent, as ground water levels in the northwest part of the
country were experiencing serious decline.
By 1989, Johnson County was receiving treated water from Lake Granbury. The
Brazos River Authority had issued public bonds to fund the construction of the
Surface Water and Treatment System (SWATS) that eventually would treat and serve
3.5 MGD to the Corporation, Johnson County Fresh Water District, Acton Municipal
Utility District and the City of Granbury. The SWATS plant was fitted with a
desalinization unit to remove excessive chloride and sulfate by a process known as
Electrodialysis Reversal by the IONICS Corporation.
In 1992, the TNRCC granted JCRWSC an alternate capacity requirement rating of .5
gpm per connection. Two years after receiving the ACR, the Corporation was
supplying about 7000 connections with only 1.625 MGD of surface water capacity
from the SWATS treatment plant (Surface Water And Treatment System) on Lake
Granbury operated by the Brazos River Authority. The annual audit in 1994 reported
the asset value for the distribution system at $13.6 million.
In March 2000, the Board of Directors voted to convert Johnson County Rural Water
Supply Corporation to a SUD (special utility district). Enabling legislation in the
1980’s allowed for member-owned water supply corporations to become a political
subdivision of the state via becoming a SUD. After several years of contemplating
whether such a conversion would be feasible, it was determined that indeed becoming
a district was in the best interest of the ratepayers. The decision was made based on
the favorable economy of issuing tax-exempt bonds for capital improvement projects,
becoming sales tax exempt, and being eligible to participate in the state-sponsored
insurance risk pool and avoid the high cost of liability insurance in the open market.
The application process took more time than usual because several cities opposed the
conversion. In order to arrive at a consensus, an inter-local agreement was forged
with the cities and a bill was submitted to the legislature for passage. Finally after 3½
years, the process was approved and the organization began operating as a District in
January 2004.
Today, JCSUD is the largest Special Utility District in Texas. Merging the Fresh
Water District’s (FWD) operation into JCSUD yields some 14,500 connections, or
service provided to a population of 40,000. The management and employees at
JCSUD have honed and polished their skills to maintain a level of efficiency that is
exemplary among rural water systems in Texas. Likewise, the Board of Directors is
committed to provide direction and support that affords the best possible service
within the financial means to continue with the spirit of “people helping people.”
Water Conservation Plan Johnson County SUD
2
2. UTILITY PROFILE
2.1
Existing Water Supplies
The service area of the JCSUD consists of approximately 348 square miles in
Johnson, Tarrant, Hill, and Ellis Counties, Texas. JCSUD covers about three-fourths
of unincorporated Johnson County. About 95% of the customers are in Johnson
County. The service area has a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity originally
issued in November 1979. This document essentially is a franchise authorization,
which allows only JCSUD to provide water service within this area. Currently the
system provides about 30% ground water from existing wells and 70% from surface
water. The surface water comes from Lake Granbury in Hood County. JCSUD has a
long-term raw water contract with Brazos River Authority for 13,210 acre-feet of
water. Based on the TCEQ exemption of .5gpm per connection, forecasts show this
reserve to extend through 2040.
The water supply for JCSUD is provided from three (3) sources. A fourth source will
be available in the near future from Grand Prairie. The water supply assessment is
based on a maximum day condition. For over 95% of the time, because of fluctuations
in water usage, the capacity will not be fully utilized. In general a maximum day or a
condition approximating maximum day occurs three (3) to five (5) times per year and
then in only drought years. The water supply sources are a series of long term contracts
with the Brazos River Authority (BRA), water wells owned by JCSUD, and water
purchase agreements with the City of Mansfield and Grand Prairie.
Table 1 shows the current water supply capabilities.
Current Water
Supply Source
BRPUA
SWATS Plant
Wells
Mansfield Contract
Grand Prairie
TOTALS
TABLE 1
JCSUD WATER SUPPLY
Capacity
Capacity
Connections at
MGD
gpm
0.5 gpm
0.6 gpm
7.19
3.22
9.00
6.00
25.41
4,993
2,236
6,250
4,167
17,646
9,986
4,472
12,500
8,334
35,292
8,322
3,727
10,417
6,945
29,411
2.2 Wholesale Customers
JCSUD provides wholesale water on an as-needed basis to six customers that have
contracts with JCSUD: the City of Alvarado, Monarch Utilities, Blue Water Oaks,
Walnut Creek MHP, Bethany SUD and the City of Keene. JCSUD also provides
water to Bell Manor (no contract). For alternative capacity requirement calculations,
the water supply provided to these wholesale water customers were subtracted from
JCSUD’s daily production values, except for Walnut Creek MHP. The number of
active JCSUD connections does not include connections within the wholesale water
Water Conservation Plan Johnson County SUD
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customer systems for the City of Alvarado, Monarch Utilities, Blue Water Oaks, and
Bell Manor. JCSUD also provides water supplies for temporary and unusual water
demands for fire protection, oil and gas drilling operations and road construction.
The District’s Long Range Water Supply Plan includes supplying the growing
demand of its wholesale customers just like caring for the retail customer demand.
Table 1 shows the maximum water capacity of 25.41 MGD. Accordingly, as long as
the District maintains its .5gpm per connection with TCEQ, this capacity will cover
the needs through the 2040 growth projection.
2.3 Water Distribution System
The JCSUD water distribution system is very complex as detailed in the Schematic
Diagram (page 5a). The system started initially as a rural water supply system.
However, as the water supply demands increased, the nature of the water distribution
system has started to change to a suburban system with some commercial
requirements. The system consists of approximately 860 miles of water pipe ranging
in sizes from twenty four (24) inch diameter pipe down to one (1) inch diameter pipe.
Table 2 shows an approximate quantity of the water distribution pipe infrastructure.
TABLE 2
Distribution System Piping
Length
Diameter
Feet
Miles
1
30,936
5.86
1.5
237,719
45.02
2
315,427
59.74
2.5
113,440
21.48
3
818,453
155.01
4
637,817
120.80
6
1,162,125
220.10
8
624,631
118.30
10
60,399
11.40
12
298,845
56.60
16
55,987
10.60
*18
25,859
4.90
20
6,617
1.25
*24
164,997
31.20
Total
4,553,252
862.26
*Transmission System Piping
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4
The water distribution system consists of four (4) principal components; water
supply, water storage tanks, pump stations, and distribution piping. The system
started initially as a rural water supply system. It has been built by the mergers of at
least five (5) separate entities into the current system. In addition, at least three (3)
investor owned or neighborhood water associations have also been absorbed into the
JCSUD system.
The system is divided into pressure planes for best management of the system. The
pressure planes are geographic sub-areas of the entire water system. The purpose of a
pressure plane is to control the minimum and maximum water pressure within an
area. The system is split into fifteen (15) pressure planes. Pressure Planes 1, 8, 13,
24, 25, 34, and 36 have elevated storage tanks to meet peak hourly conditions.
Pressure Planes 3, 5, 9, 10, 18, 19, and 20 have ground storage and pressure tanks to
meet peak hourly conditions. Pressure Plane 25M is served from Mansfield and its
peak hour conditions are met through the Mansfield system.
Water Conservation Plan Johnson County SUD
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2.4
Water Storage Tanks and Pump Stations:
Water Storage Tanks - JCSUD has a number of water storage facilities, both elevated
tanks and ground tanks. The required capacity for water storage is regulated by TCEQ.
The capacity requirement is 200 gallons per connection. If a pressure plane has more
than 2,500 connections, at least 100 gallons per connection must be elevated storage.
JCSUD owns a 3MG elevated, ground storage standpipe, better known as the TST
(Transmission Storage Tank) located on Brushy Nob, just west of Joshua. JCSUD has
over 7MG of ground storage including the TST, and 5MG of elevated storage. Another
1MG of ground storage is planned at each of the two new pump stations. Plant 26 and 27
are expected to be online by summer 2014.
Table 3 below shows the current JCSUD water storage availability.
Pressure
Plane
1
13
8
24
25
3
5
9
10
18
19
20
25M
34
36
Plants
1
17
13
11
8
21
24
16
25
14
15
3
5
9
10
18
19
20
25M
34
36
35
Totals
Water Conservation Plan Johnson County SUD
Table 3
JCSUD Water Storage
Capacity
Capacity
All Ground Tank(s) Elevated Tank
Gal.
Gal.
1MG
500K
750K
300K
1MG
3.5MG
500K
200K
500K
100K
100K
500K
200K
100K
100K
100K
500K
500K
200K
750K
500K
950K
500K
100K
5MG
12MG
100K
7MG
6
Total Capacity
Storage Tank(s)
Gal.
1MG
500K
750K
300K
1MG
3.5MG
500K
200K
500K
100K
100K
500K
200K
100K
100K
100K
500K
500K
Pump Stations - Each pressure plane except for 25M has at least one (1) pump station
associated with it. Two (2) of the pump stations (Plants 11 and 21) have vertical turbine
pumps. All of the others have split case centrifugal pumps.
Table 4 shows the existing pumping capacity at each plant.
Pressure
Plane
1
13
8
24
25
3
5
9
10
18
19
20
25M
34
36
TABLE 4
JCSUD Pump Stations
Capacity Booster Pumps
Plants
gpm
1
17
3,600
13
11
2,150
8
21
4,400
24
16
1,250
25
14
980
15
980
3
1,600
5
860
9
800
10
440
18
600
19
2,100
20
1,200
25M
34
1,500
36
35
1,500
Total
23,960
The principal criteria used to establish the water system requirements are derived from
the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) which established water
system regulations in Chapter 290. These criteria define water supply requirements and
water distribution system requirements including facility sizes. These were used in
developing the Master Plan. Currently JCSUD has an exemption for the water supply
requirements of 0.6 gpm per connection to 0.5 gpm per connection. This is a 20 percent
savings. TCEQ has asked JCSUD to provide more data to maintain the exemption. The
maximum day criteria generally govern the size of the water supply requirements.
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2.5 Wastewater System
A. Wastewater System Data
1. Design capacity of wastewater treatment plant(s): 0.70 MGD
2. Is treated effluent used for irrigation on-site? Yes; off-site? Yes;
plant washdown? Yes; or chlorination/dechlorination? Yes
If yes, approximately 3.5 M_ gallons per month.
3. Brief Description of the Wastewater System:
Johnson County Special Utility District (JCSUD) owns and operates its collection
system and wastewater treatment plant under TCEQ permit number WQ0014350001.
The collection system serves the city limits of Joshua and part of Burleson. The
system has eight lift stations and approximately 30 miles of sewer main. The JCSUD
wastewater treatment facility operates in extended aeration mode and is designed to
treat 0.70 MGD. The treatment facility has influent screens, two aeration basins, two
circular clarifiers, an intra-channel boat clarifier, head lift station, RAS lift station and
a chlorine contact chamber. Effluent from the treatment facility is discharged into an
un-named tributary, then to Village Creek and finally ends up in Lake Arlington.
B. Wastewater Data for Service Area
1. Percent of water service area served by wastewater system: 12%
2. Monthly volume treated for previous three years (in 1,000 gallons):
Year 2009
Year 2010
Year 2011
9,237,000
8,360,000
10,558,000
9,881,000
11,285,000
9,304,000
9,790,000
9,680,000
14,128,000
16,997,000
13,568,000
13,190,000
12,483,000
17,519,000
19,238,000
13,629,000
12,165,000
10,539,000
10,961,000
9,631,000
12,552,000
9,917,000
8,982,000
10,290,000
11,120,000
10,656,000
10,998,000
11,580,000
12,905,000
10,772,000
6,851,000
6,913,000
7,280,000
11,082,000
9,600,000
11,367,000
135,978,000
147,906,000
121,124,000
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Total
Water Conservation Plan Johnson County SUD
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2.6 Lake Granbury Surface Water and Treatment System
The Brazos Regional Public Utility Agency (BRPUA) owns and operates the Lake
Granbury Surface Water and Treatment System (SWATS) which provides water to
retail customers in Johnson and Hood Counties. The SWATS project is classified as
a wholesale public water supplier and serves two retail water customers that are
JCSUD and Acton Municipal Utility District (AMUD). These customers of the
SWATS project entered into a 50-year contract with the BRA to obtain treated water
for the contract amount. Each retail water supplier already has in place its own water
conservation plan. The BRA has implemented a Water Conservation Plan/Drought
Contingency Plan in order to promote the conservation of available water supply,
and/or to protect the integrity of the water supply facility, and to protect and preserve
public health.
2.7 Brazos G Plan – Johnson County
The Brazos G Regional Water Plan shows that the reliable groundwater supply in
Johnson County is insufficient to provide for all of the water suppliers currently using
groundwater. As a result, the plan has many of the smaller suppliers in the county
purchasing treated surface water from other suppliers. The Brazos G Regional Water
Plan included development of additional supplies through reuse as a recommended
water management strategy for Cleburne and Johnson County Special Utility District.
Conservation was considered for all water suppliers, and advanced conservation was
recommended for those with a projected municipal use in excess of 140 gallons per
person per day in 2060.
The water management strategies proposed for Johnson County in the Brazos G
Regional Water Plan included the following:
 Conservation for suppliers with projected municipal water use over 140
gallons per person per day (Cleburne, Grandview, Johnson County SUD,
Mountain Peak SUD, and Johnson County-Other)
 Purchase water from Johnson County SUD (Bethany WSC, Parker WSC, Rio
Vista, and Johnson County-Other)
 Purchase more water from Fort Worth (Bethesda WSC and Burleson)
 Purchase water from Brazos River Authority SWATS (Godley and Johnson
County Freshwater Supply District No. 1/Joshua). Since the 2006 Plan,
Johnson County Freshwater Supply District No. 1 has merged and become
part of Johnson County SUD. Johnson County SUD now provides water
supplies to the City of Joshua.
 Purchase from Midlothian (Mountain Peak SUD) or Midlothian via Venus
(Alvarado).
 Participate in reuse projects (Cleburne and Johnson County SUD)
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2.8 Region C Plan – Johnson County
Johnson County exists in the Brazos G Water Planning area; however, the BrazosTrinity basin divide-line bisects the county diagonally as it down-dips from the
northwest corner to the southeast corner. The Brazos River Authority and the Tarrant
Regional Water District jointly supports the ideals of JCSUD supplying retail and
wholesale customers with source water from both basins.
TRWD continues to consider the Trinity River Basin portion of Johnson County to be
within its service area. However, TRWD will continue to coordinate water supply
service it provides in Johnson County with the BRA.
Johnson County Special Utility District (SUD) accounts for about 30% of the
municipal water demand in Johnson County. In 2006, Johnson County SUD
developed a long range water supply plan that included an evaluation of additional
water supplies from the Trinity and Brazos River Basins. During the study, JCSUD
met with local and regional water providers. Based on information from meetings,
potential future supplies from TRWD were identified (either directly or indirectly
through their primary customers) for projected demands in the Trinity Basin portion
of Johnson County.
TRWD requires a system capacity buy-in for new or increased contract amounts. The
cost of the buy-in is based on the value of the existing system components. TRWD’s
primary customers (Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield and TRA Tarrant County Water
Supply Project) have “all needs” contracts and do not pay system buy-in costs for
increased use. This is due to their obligation to meet all system revenue
requirements. Other customers pay a buy-in cost for new contract water volumes or
increases in contract water volumes. In 2009 and 2010, JCSUD executed water
purchase agreements of 9MGD and 6MGD with the City of Mansfield and Grand
Prairie respectively. Region C recognizes JCSUD as a wholesale customer to these
entities in the current water plan. JCSUD expects to have its Trinity Basin Transfer
Facilities project (12 mile 30” pipeline and two pump stations) complete and online
by summer of 2014 to begin taking water from the City of Mansfield.
Water Conservation Plan Johnson County SUD
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