Conceptual Capers Ridge Pump Station Flyover
Preliminary Luce Bayou Alignment
Figure 1
Regulatory Areas
Historically, the region's water supply has come from groundwater. Future water needs must increasingly be met with surface water in order to prevent severe land subsidence from groundwater pumping. The Luce Bayou Project will divert existing, permitted raw water supplies from the Trinity River to Lake Houston in order to meet these upcoming surface water requirements.
The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District (HGSD) was established in 1975 to regulate groundwater pumping in Harris and Galveston Counties and to develop the regulatory framework for addressing severe land subsidence due to over-pumping of groundwater aquifers in the region. As a result of HGSD regulations this region has and will continue to convert from, what has historically been, primarily groundwater supply to surface water supply.
The current HGSD 1999 Regulatory Plan divides the region into three regulatory areas (see Fig.1) each with separate regulatory plans and schedules for conversion from groundwater to surface water. The conversion to surface water in Regulatory Areas 1 and 2, which include all of Galveston County as well as the southeast portion of Harris County, is virtually complete. Planning for conversion in Regulatory Area 3, (see project service area) which includes the remainder of north and west Harris County, has been underway for many years with the first mandated conversion requirement starting in 2010.
The Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District (LSGCD) was created in 2001 to regulate groundwater pumping in Montgomery County. The LSGCD is currently developing its regulatory plan and requirements for reductions in groundwater pumping in the County. However, based on initial study, Montgomery County is likely to undergo a conversion from groundwater to surface supply similar to what has and will continue to take place in Harris and Galveston Counties. Lake Conroe, located in Montgomery County, is one source of surface water to meet projected demands. However, the existing supply in Lake Conroe is not expected to be adequate to meet all the long-term needs of Montgomery County. Additional supplies out of Lake Houston could possibly be used to meet projected demand in southern Montgomery County.
The required conversion from groundwater in the region due to both HGSD and possibly LSGCD regulations has resulted in an enormous increase in projected demand on area surface water supplies. The Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project (Luce Bayou Project) is a vital component for water users in Regulatory Area 3 to respond to the HGSD mandated conversion requirements. At present, the largest and most available surface water supply in Regulatory Area 3 is Lake Houston. This is particularly true of the unincorporated portion of Harris County in Regulatory Area 3, which also is projected to experience the greatest single need for future surface water. However, the current permitted supply in Lake Houston is not adequate to meet projected needs in the region and additional supply beyond current permitted amounts is required.
The Luce Bayou Project will provide for conveyance facilities to transfer excess supply, owned by the City of Houston, in the Trinity River to Lake Houston for subsequent use in Harris and Montgomery County (see project history). The project will consist of a pump station which will divert up to 450,000 acre-feet of water per year (400 million gallons per day) from the Trinity River for transport to Lake Houston through approximately 4 miles of pipeline and 22 miles of canal. The Coastal Water Authority (CWA) has been directed by the City of Houston to initiate preliminary design and permitting for the project. CWA has begun initial planning, engineering, and environmental studies and is currently developing the overall schedule for implementation of the project. A preliminary alignment has been selected south of the Luce Bayou channel. This alignment includes conveyance from the Trinity River to Lake Houston via a pipeline and a canal.