SANFORD, TEXAS -- Lake Meredith is sitting at 31.37 feet, just a few feet over its record low from earlier this year.
That means all the cities supplied by the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority are having to tap into their own resources.
"Amarillo has done a really good job, they have a lot of their own well fields and they can take up the slack from the loss of Meredith," said Kent Satterwhite, CRMWA General Manager. "But at some point all the cities are going to need this additional water and that's the question we're asking right now. When should we start working on the pipeline?"
Right now, there are two pipelines, the original lake water pipeline, which gets its water from Lake Meredith.
And the Roberts County groundwater pipeline, which has plenty of water, but not the means to deliver it.
"The groundwater design doesn't have enough capacity to supply the full needs of the cities, and as you know, we don't have any lake water to supply," said Satterwhite.
That is why CRMWA is talking about a new pipeline.
"We need to expand that project and to do that we need to add another additional pipeline to come in and meet our original lake water pipelines."
The early estimated cost for that pipeline is around $250 million.
"The question we're asking right now, when do you think this will be needed?"
It is really up to the different member cities, they could decide to build the new pipeline now and conserve more of their own water. Or hold off until their water runs out.
"It's not a worry because we have the water now. We bought the water. We have lots more than any other entity in the state and probably the nation," said Satterwhite. "All we need is the pipeline which is money."
For now, the project is on hold.
The water authority will look into it again in October.
