A federal grant has set in motion a tri-county effort that aims to bolster the economy in rural West Texas and improve water quality in the Upper Brazos River Basin.
Garza, Kent and Stonewall counties are creating an expanded version of the Salt Fork Water Quality District, which plans to keep highly concentrated salt water from entering the Brazos River. With a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, the group will study the feasibility of the project and explore ways to secure capital for the projected $30 million-plus project.
The salt produced by the project will be sold, bringing industry to an area in need of new job opportunities. At the same time, the negative effects of the saline on the statewide environment will be lessened, and the costs of potable water will be decreased for communities that use Brazos River water.
A Salty Problem Long in the Making
For more than 50 years, the Brazos River Authority (BRA) has looked at the problem of salt from the Brazos River as it flows into Possum Kingdom Lake, Lake Granbury, and Lake Whitney – and eventually all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
Tiffany Morgan, an environmental planner with the BRA, said discharges from the underground brine aquifer deposit salt onto the ground, which eventually washes into the river. The effects magnify downstream, she said, leaving behind water that must be treated if it is to be used for human consumption.
The high salt content of the water also causes deterioration of the metals in dams, pipelines, and drinking and wastewater plants, she said. Studies also have indicated high saline content may contribute to golden algae bloom, which has been attributed to fish kills.
Stonewall County Judge Bobby McGough became concerned about the impact of the salt on the local environment, particularly the lakes, a number of years ago.
He sought the expertise of and joined forces with Kleber Denny, of Houston, who has a master’s degree in water resources engineering and a lifelong interest in water. Denny has been involved with the Salt Fork Water Quality District project for 11 years and serves as project manager.
A grant from the Texas Water Development Board nearly 10 years ago was the first step in looking at what could be done with the brine water. Another grant about five years ago, from the Economic Development Administration, helped determine the economic viability of opening a plant to handle the brine water and a means for marketing the salt that would be removed from the water.
The salt could be used in livestock feed and road salt, water softener pellets, and, under certain circumstances, for human consumption.
McGough said he saw the potential “to make a major impact on the salt going into Possum Kingdom.” In turn, he saw the potential for creating jobs to produce something marketable.
The creation of the water district by the Texas Legislature two sessions ago set the wheels in motion. Originally, the water district included only Stonewall County, where the wells would be located.
A Turn in the Right Direction
Eventually, the plan stalled out. The county needed a cost-effective way to transport the salt that would be extracted from the river water. And with wells in only Stonewall County, the percentage of salt removed was not enough to produce a good return on investment.
Denny said the project took a turn then that has impacted where it is today – more economically viable.
By expanding the drilling of wells into Kent County, the project could increase the percentage of salt removed from the water from about 45 percent to as much as 65 percent. Eventually, over a course of between five years and 10 years, water in Possum Kingdom Lake, Lake Granbury and Lake Whitney could potentially be usable as drinking water without any additional desalination treatment, said Denny.
The plan calls for the saline water from the wells in the two counties to be pumped from the ground and piped to another location. There, the water would be put into solar evaporative ponds, which would leave only the salt that then would be processed for commercial use.
Another possibility for desalination is using thermal heat, which would allow the district to recover high quality water to use or sell, as well.
Finding a railroad to transport the extracted salt would be more cost-efficient than hauling it by truck. In came Garza County, which has a railhead for moving the salt to a wider commercial market.
The project is expected to bring some 60 to 80 jobs to the three-county area.
The county commissioners courts of the three counties saw the benefits of the Salt Fork Water Quality District and climbed on board.
Garza County Judge Giles W. Darby said, “Like all rural counties, we’re interested in jobs.”
Kent County Judge Jim White said, “Expanding the scope of the project to the three counties gave it the best chance for success.”
Each of the counties has contributed to the required match on the $325,000 grant with cash and in-kind donations of staff, building, and equipment use. Their contributions have brought the grant project to $500,000.
Rick Sebenoler, program officer with the EDA, called the project “an extraordinary investment in the economy of Texas.” He said the benefits of lowering the salinity of the Brazos River, or raising the water quality, will be felt all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
Sebenoler praised the cooperation of the three counties.
“They saw the data and had to take a step forward,” he said. “The faith of these three counties is a great indication of the project’s potential for success.”
As the project moves forward, McGough said he believes the key will be the blend of federal, state, county and private enterprise. The current grant monies will help the district develop a financial plan to attract other backers.
An Ingenious Solution
The water district is awaiting passage of a bill in the Texas Legislature that will expand the district to include the three counties.
Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, lead sponsor on the bill, said, “In West Texas, our water supplies are limited. We must be efficient with the water we have and find creative ways to use the resources we have available to us. The Salt Fork Water Quality District will help do this.”
Morgan said the expansion to include the three counties has proved an “ingenious solution.” What once appeared to be a financially out-of-reach project is now feasible.
Denny called the three county judges visionaries.
“In tough economic times, they looked for opportunities to replace traditional employment sources that were going away – oil and gas, farming and ranching,” Denny said. “And they found the least costly way to solve a natural pollution problem.”
At the end of the day, McGough said the merit of the project is in lowering the salt content of the water.
“I believe we’ve come up with the most cost-efficient method to solve this problem,” McGough said, “or I wouldn’t have stayed with it so long.”
Tammy Wishard
