As part of my research, I reached out to many journalists and reporters who had previously written about the state of the water in Dallas to learn more about their findings. I also reached out to the City of Dallas to see if I could talk with someone who would be very knowledgeable about what Dallas is doing to prepare for projected water demand. I reached out to Alicia Lee, the Water Conservation Manager of Dallas, and she responded to my request to have a discussion. In addition, Denis Qualls, who is entering his 20th year as superintendent of the Planning Division of Dallas Water agreed to meet with me as well. Denis Qualls helps lead the planning for water related projects in Dallas and Alicia Lee works with her team to strategize ways to conserve water. After spending the majority of my summer conducting independent research about the City of Dallas Water, I still had some other critical questions that I still needed to find answers to. I thought that there would be no better way to find the answers and learn more about Dallas water than to talk to people who are experts about it.
Below are the highlights of my questions and of our discussion.
How safe is the water in Dallas?
Through my previous research, I learned that Dallas’ water is rated as a superior water system, which is the highest rating given by the state of Texas for water quality.
After my discussion with Denis Qualls and Alicia Lee, I learned that Dallas tests its water about 45,000 times per month, or almost 63 tests per minute. These tests meet all of the testing requirements set by the FDA, and the city also exceeds these requirements by doing extra testing for other toxins/contaminants that are not on the FDA’s list. Dallas’ water is some of the highest quality water accessible within the region. It appears that Dallas’ water is very safe.
What is Dallas doing about the new risk of forever chemicals?
PFAS is a microscopic and toxic forever chemical. As more research about this toxin is being published, more and more negative effects of this chemical are being revealed. These effects include increased cholesterol, increased likelihood of cancer, decreased vaccination response in children, changes in liver enzymes, increased blood pressure in pregnant women, and decreased newborn weight. Once this chemical gets into the water supply or in your blood, it is extremely hard to eliminate, and it will stay for a very long time and does not degrade easily, hence the name ‘forever chemical’.
According to Denis Qualls, “we are testing for PFAS regularly, and there is less than 1 part per trillion [of PFAS] in our water.” The EPA health advisory for PFAS is 70 parts per trillion, and Dallas has 3 parts per trillion, or less than one drop of PFAS in 21 million gallons of water.
Image: water testing done by the City of Dallas.
Will Dallas run out of water?
Dallas currently gets its water from seven lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, and based on Dallas Water Utilities’ forecasts, Dallas' current water supply will sustain water demand through 2030, and these water supplies will be exhausted in 2035.
The seven lakes/reservoirs and rivers that supply Dallas with water are highlighted in blue below.
Through my original independent research, it was unclear whether or not the City of Dallas has a plan to increase our water supply because I had read in an article titled The Last Drop (posted on the Texas Monthly), that Dallas will run out of water in 2035.
However, the City of Dallas plans to connect two more lakes, connect one more river, and reuse a considerably higher amount of water by constructing a reservoir. These projects are already funded and are under construction. Dallas’ current project is called the Integrated Pipeline Project. Slated for a 2027 completion, the 9-foot-wide pipeline will connect Lake Palestine (located Southeast of Tyler, Texas) to the Dallas water supply. This project will provide over 100 million gallons per day to the Dallas water supply, and it will help Dallas meet the rising water demand through 2050.
The next project is called Indirect Reuse through a Balancing Reservoir. This reservoir will store discharged non-potable water from the wastewater treatment plants and allow Dallas to treat the water and then use the water as needed. This project will be completed by 2050.
The next two projects will connect the Neches River, which runs south out of lake Palestine, and Lake Columbia, which is located 30 miles east of Lake Palestine. Since there is already a pipeline from Lake Palestine to Dallas, the water from the Neches River and Lake Columbia will go into that same pipeline, and then head back to Dallas. These two projects will be completed by 2060 and 2070 respectively. Together, these four projects will increase the water supply by 70% (from 500 million gallons per day to 850).
Sourced from: https://www.dallascityhall.com/departments/waterutilities/DCH%20Documents/2014_LRWSP_Final_Report_all_11302015.pdf
Image: projected water supply until 2070. The red line represents raw water demand, and the colored sections represent the daily quantity of water supplied by different projects.
Sourced from: https://www.trwd.com/20249-2/
Image: inside a section of the 100-mile pipeline created in the IPL.
What are we doing to conserve water?
Dallas uses half of its water for landscaping, and the City has enacted two different watering restrictions in an effort to conserve water. These restrictions include watering no more than twice a week and no watering during the hours of 10 am – 6 pm. These restrictions reduced water consumption by over 20%, or 130 million gallons per day (from almost 600 MGD to just under 470 MGD).
The City of Dallas is also taking other measures to increase water conservation. One key initiative is focused on businesses. The City of Dallas will grant these businesses cash subsidies to meet water saving targets. In total, these 14 projects have saved between 90 million and 168 million gallons per year, or between 247 and 460 thousand gallons per day. The City of Dallas also already saves almost 20 million gallons a year through a project called “New Throne for your Home.” This project will replace residents’ old toilets for free. Dallas Water Utilities says it plans to use water usage data to target customers who will potentially qualify for free, minor plumbing repairs, which already saves the city 3 million gallons per year, or over 8,000 gallons per day. Even though it seems like each of these conservation projects do not save a considerable amount of water, water savings will add up and these projects will help Dallas save lots of water in the long run.
Other Highlights/Conclusion
Coming out of this discussion, I felt more secure about Dallas’ water supply. Denis Qualls and Alicia Lee told me that Dallas Water Utilities always prepares for the worse-case scenario. After asking so many questions and receiving quick and succinct answers, I realized that Denis Qualls and Alicia Lee, among many others in the City and at Dallas Water Utilities, have already discussed the issues I raised, and they have created plans to resolve them. In fact, they readily shared their 500-page water supply plan with me, which is titled 2014 Long Range Water Supply Plan. The City is working on updating their water supply plan, and it will be released in 2023/2024. The City of Dallas seems to be very planful about how it can preserve the quantity and quality of Dallas’ water for now and for future decades. It is great to know that our leaders have our daily necessities as their priority.
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