CITY WATER RESOURCES
San Marcos is in the biggest drought of record since the 1950s, and many of the local springs are drying up, which is still an issue regardless of the recent flooding events as experts have said that only a continuous rain event sustained over a long period of time could reverse the drought. That, paired with the rapidly increasing population in San Marcos, means water resources are scarce, which can be alarming. But the city of San Marcos is making sure it has ample reserves for its residents and said that it is making moves to ensure that it will for many years to come.
Paul Kite, San Marcos Water/Wastewater Utility assistant director, said the city anticipates the population to rise significantly, which means San Marcos will be more densely populated with more water usage. But the city of San Marcos currently has enough water in its portfolio to support the projected population growth, according to Kite.
“With San Marcos’ rapidly growing population, the Texas Water Development Board now projects a population of 303,000 by 2075 — an increase of 115,000 over the last Region L projection in 2017,” according to a city of San Marcos NewsHub article. “Consequently, projected daily water demand has risen from 18.7 million gallons per day to 33.5 MGD.”
The SMTX NewsHub article also stated that SMTX Utilities currently sources its water from four primary supplies: Guadalupe- Blanco River Authority, which is sourced from Canyon Lake – 8.9 million gallons per day; Edwards Aquifer – 4.85 MGD; Alliance Regional Water Authority, which is sourced from the Carrizo- Wilcox Aquifer – 2.4 MGD; and Canyon Regional Water Authority, which is sourced from the San Marcos River – 1.2 MGD. Kite pointed out that there are other water utilities that serve people within the city limits and that the city also services some locations outside of the city limits.
“Regional Water Authority is the biggest diversification project that we have; phase one A and B are already up and running,” Kite said, adding that an expansion has already been approved “[That] would expand the plant to give us another 3.4 million gallons of capacity a day.”
Kite said that phase 2 of the Alliance Regional Water Project would involve connection to a new pipeline, the same one that the city of Kyle recently tapped into. He added that this is beneficial because it lessens the city’s dependence on Edwards Aquifer and Canyon Lake. According to the Water Data for Texas website, Canyon Lake is currently at 46.4% capacity, down from 56.5% one year ago. A quick drive by Canyon Lake will make visible the far-receding water line that once touched the edges of neighborhoods and businesses and is now hundreds of feet from the end of piers.
“There is some current drought restrictions in place on … [Canyon Lake]. And it is our largest — 10,000 acre feet — … source,” Kite said. “That certainly is something that we’re watching. We work with GBRA, who actually joint operates our water treatment facility for us. So they are plant operator for our surface water. So they’re watching that, making sure that we’re staying within those limitations.”
Kite said the city is bolstering its water resources by utilizing a Wastewater Treatment plant, and three main organizations utilize its recycled water — Kissing Tree, Hays Energy and Martin Marietta. He said the city is always looking for ways to expand its users and sources of reclaimed water.
“I think future-wise, when you look at our state water plan, one of the things that we have is the potential for is direct potable reuse,” Kite said.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, direct potable reuse involves the treatment and distribution of water without an environmental buffer such as a lake, river or a groundwater aquifer.
Kite noted that the city recently began creating a Reclaim Master Plan, which would map out the ways in which the city could increase its use of recycled water.
“That’s an exciting project,” Kite said. “It’s going to be the first master plan [of its kind] for the city of San Marcos.”
The new Wastewater Treatment Plan in the works will be located on FM 1978.
“Currently, the existing reclaim system all comes from the current [plant],” Kite said. “The new plant is in the design phase. No construction has begun on it yet.”
At the July 1 San Marcos City Council meeting, there was a presentation on the facility in which it was shared that the council approved a cost-sharing agreement with developers for regional wastewater facilities in May of 2024. The agreement committed the city to permit and build a 2 MGD wastewater facility to serve the developments in that area, and it gives the city the ability to expand the treatment plant up to 8 MGD. The developments are providing more than $60 million dollars for design and construction of the plant. There is a pipeline that would run the treated effluent into Cottonwood Creek.
Maddie Baker, San Marcos communications specialist, added that no matter how much water the city has, it is always best to “conserve where you can.”
Learn more about the city of San Marcos’ water portfolio at sanmarcostx. gov/4518/San-Marcos-Charts-a-Sustainable-Wat er-Fu.
