With the mandated groundwater reduction requirement, LAN has been working with the City of Conroe (City) since 2010 to identify necessary system changes and needs to implement the use of surface water into their system. Six of the City’s existing water pump stations were identified for receipt of surface water along with flow control valve and water line improvements within their distribution system.

Several improvements were required at the existing water pump stations due to the changes in how the system would need to operate to transmit the required quantity of surface water. These changes included additional pumping capacity, modified pumping characteristics, increased electrical requirements, changes in operations, and additional chemical feed injection points. To minimize project costs and utilize existing equipment, considerations were made to relocate existing pumps to other pump stations as well as replacing impellers in existing pump bodies.

Changing on-site conditions were also a factor in the project. The City has contracted with the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) to deliver surface water to the City’s pump stations. SJRA’s contractor began construction of incoming surface water transmission lines and flow control stations on the City’s pump station sites while the City began their design efforts. This led to changing site conditions during design and the need to continuous coordination between the two parties.