The Details of Lubbock’s 2018 Strategic Water Supply Plan
The City of Lubbock’s new 2018 Strategic Water Supply Plan was discussed Tuesday during an open house at the Science Spectrum.
The plan explains how the city will manage and expand its water supply for the next 100 years. According to the plan, Lubbock gets its water from four main well fields located in Lubbock, Bailey County, Roberts County, and Shallowater.
Lubbock also receives water from Lake Meredith just north of Amarillo and Lake Alan Henry to the southeast.
The water supply plans suggests that if the city’s conservation efforts are successful, Lubbock should have enough water to meet demand until at least 2032, but it’s possible a new water supply project will be necessary by as early as 2028 if drought projections are exceeded.
The plan outlines at least 17 strategies that could be used to expand Lubbock’s water supply, each ranked based on eight criteria ranging from sustainability to project cost. These various strategies are compiled into five separate “supply packages”, each with a slightly different objective.
For instance, Supply Package 1 focuses on early diversification of the city’s current water supply while Package 2 is intended to maximize water supply specifically from the Roberts County Well Field, which is considered drought proof.
Supply Package 3 would maximize groundwater supply, Package 4 would prepare Lubbock more for severe drought conditions, and Package 5 spotlights accelerated population growth within the city.
Each package has its own timeline and price tag. All five packages, if implemented, could cost the city anywhere from $3.9 billion dollars to $4.9 billion over the next 100 years.