About half an hour south of Waco, TX along highway 77 lies Chilton Water Supply and Sewer Service Corporation, in Falls County, TX. Falls County, dubbed the agricultural hub of the heart of Texas region, features 1,103 farms and no fewer than 115,649 head of cattle as of the 2017 Census of Agriculture. In addition, June 2024 saw the start-up of commercial operation of National Grid Renewables’ Copperhead Solar and Storage Project, a 150-megawatt (MW) solar and 100-megawatt hour (MWh) storage project that is anticipated to contribute $25 million in direct economic impact.
For Chilton Water Supply and Sewer Service Corporation (Chilton), the community’s enduring agricultural significance and new industrial demands stress Chilton’s aging infrastructure, including its wastewater treatment system. In an effort to address these needs, Chilton sought $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to purchase and install a new generator at the lift station and implement upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant facilities that will allow the water supply and sewer service corporation to accommodate future growth.
In order to strategically deploy their CDBG funding, Chilton has procured a consultant to map the wastewater treatment system using geographical information and global positioning services. The inventory of the system’s assets is expected to yield data regarding Chilton’s sewer components, including plant and equipment, and to produce maps that reflect sewer pipelines, cleanouts, manholes, plant components, and lift stations.
In turn, these deliverables will support Chilton’s planned projects by allowing them to complete an Asset Management Plan and other planning activities, and will assist Chilton in meeting Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) regulations by enabling a required lead line inventory.
However, the cost to hire the consultant to perform these services totals $68,615; by comparison, the Texas Water Development Board offers competitive financial assistance under its Asset Management Program for Small Systems (AMPSS) in an amount up to $100,000, indicating the steep fee these services typically incur. Still, the cost for this work remains prohibitively high for Chilton’s small system of 280 connections.
As a result, WFX is pleased to offer a Community Catalyst Fund (CCF) grant in combination with a Pre-Development Loan to pay for these mapping and planning activities. These activities will allow Chilton to maximize the impact of its CDBG funding. It will also allow Chilton to strengthen their financial resilience by creating a short-lived asset account that preempts Chilton from having to seek loans for other capital expenses.