San Angelo is much richer in water resources and water fund holdings. Twin Buttes Reservoir doubled in the last month from recent rains. The Water Enterprise Fund balance rose to over $9.3 million, nearly double the level city staff said was required to offer citizen water rebates in a November 2017 City Council meeting.
The Water Advisory Board heard a report on future development of water supplies. Former City Councilman Kendall Hirschfeld missed the meeting. He would have been disappointed in the analysis which included an ongoing contribution from Lake Ivie. Hirschfeld was on City Council when San Angelo faced the prospect of a dry Lake O. H. Ivie along with our three local lakes, Nasworthy, O. C. Fisher and Twin Buttes Reservoir. The city's pipeline to Lake E. V. Spence has not worked for decades. Hirschfeld wanted the city to plan from a scorched lake perspective.
During dry times City Council decided in Executive Session to put treated wastewater into the Concho River and pull it back out further downstream. The Water Board learned six days later of Council's decision. Staff informed the Water Board that farmers would no longer get the city's treated effluent for irrigation during extended droughts. I don't know how farmers would've known to attend City Council on 9-18-18 or the Water Advisory Board on 9-24-18 to make public comment.
There is an agreement with the Tom Green County Irrigation Control District that would need to be reworked. That should happen in conjunction with City Council's strategic water decisions which clearly have begun. San Angelo has significant funds in the Water Enterprise account and been blessed with a huge increase at Twin Buttes Reservoir, which no longer needs expensive pumping to move water around.
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