MIDLAND, Texas — For the past 10 years, the City of Midland has been looking for a long-term solution to access water, not just for now, but for the next 100 years.
The city is announcing that they have that long-term water solution to provide Midlanders with plenty of access to water for the next century.
According to the city, the plan is a regional solution for future water. This is only phase one of the development for the right-of-way acquisition.
In 2020, the city was able to secure the Fort Stockton Holdings water as part of their contract. They also had a subsequent agreement with Abilene and San Angelo. Since then, the city has been working to negotiate the process.
This doesn't mean that there is going to be a new pipeline soon. It essentially means that down the road, Midlanders would be able to drink Fort Stockton water in Midland, but it will be periods of multiple years before that project actually happens.
"The state Water Board of Texas and other local and regional leaders really prioritize a 100-year vision for water so that we can demonstrate we have water for the growth and expansion of Midland," Mayor Lori Blong said. "We know that our population has grown dramatically in recent years and we anticipate based on all metrics that we review that that expansion is going to continue. And so we need to make sure that we have water not just for today but for future generations of Midland."
All of this is to ensure that if there were a municipal water issue in Midland, the city would be able to expand on other water lines.
Right now, there's no expansion to the current water facility since Midland already has the capacity for water treatment.