ODESSA, Texas —
Odessans know their city has had its fair share of water issues so far in 2024.
On Tuesday, Odessa leaders unveiled a plan to address the city’s water infrastructure issues without increasing debt or burdening taxpayers.
“We have those needs now – these are not wants, these are needs," said Javier Joven, mayor of Odessa.
As part of a budget workshop, Odessa City Council officially allocated $25 million in uncommitted funds from savings for the city-wide valve and line replacement project.
“This is what we’ve been committed to is to find ways to fund projects – especially major capital projects – without just going down the lazy way and just issuing more debt that right now the citizens really just can’t take on," Mayor Joven said. "We are maxed out with inflation and everything that is going on.”
The city will begin Phase 1 -- which involves replacing approximately 171 valves, focusing on those with the most significant impact on the city -- as soon as next month.
“When we experience these breaks, we will be able to isolate – minimizing the impact to our water customers in the city and not have to shut the water source down from the treatment plant and then institute a 24-hour boil notice, which really just inconveniences everybody which we don’t want to do," Mayor Joven said.
The city knows that water line breaks are inevitable in an 80-year-old system.
That reality makes the ability to isolate significant, says Odessa City Manager John Beckmeyer.
“If you can isolate these breaks, then it’s a very low impact to the citizens here in Odessa," Beckmeyer said. "The goal is to not have to shut the city down to be able to fix a break. One of the most strategic places for valves is right at the water towers – we have broken valves there where we can’t isolate water towers.”
Beckmeyer added that those valves are a priority when work begins.
Phase 2 is set to begin before the valve project is completed and will replace 17,025 linear feet of 18-inch and 24-inch lines in the areas with the most breaks.
Phase 2 also includes 55 more valve replacements, with the focus of the phase on the Lancaster project and the 42nd St. water line project.
“We are addressing those concerns and those issues to be able to relieve our citizens and really give them a consistent reliability that you’ll have a constant source of water without being afraid that it’s going to be shut off because we have to have a break that we can’t isolate, so that’s the overall goal," Mayor Joven said.
For the City of Odessa, the time is now.
“The funds are there, we have the problem, we need to fix it," Beckmeyer said.