AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Amarillo has purchased more water, Tuesday the Amarillo City Commission approved a resolution authorizing the city of Amarillo's participation in CRMWA's purchase of additional ground water rights in Roberts County, but how much will they be buying?
Partnering with the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority helps Amarillo get 211,000 acres of additional rights in Roberts County.
As one of the 11 member cities, Amarillo will be obligated for around 38 million dollars or a little more than 40 percent of the acquisition cost.
Atkinson says it's a great thing and guarantees continued access to CRMWA water now and in the future.
"By them building the block of water rights that they have built, the investment that all of us, you, I, everyone else is making in the CRMWA well field will just have a greatly increased life span and will continue to deliver that water in lieu of Lake Meredith for all of us for quite some time."
The city also entered into a CRMWA agreement for 32,000 acres of water rights in Ochiltree County for 17.5 million dollars.
That gives the city about 1.3 million acre feet of water.
"We have locked up phenomenal block of water rights for the future, not water we need for today, not water that necessarily part in partial to CRMWA water, it's independently owned by Amarillo and somebody way down the road here will have the opportunity to develop that and bring it to town for Amarillo's future."
The city estimates raising water and wastewater rates 11 percent to pay off both these obligations, which will be implemented over two budget years.
At the end of the commission meeting today Joe Esch the Director of Economic Development and Public Policy for Wallace Bajalli gave a presentation.
That presentation consisted of possible sources of funding for the re-development of downtown.
