PILLAR: Sustainable
AGENDA DATE: February 25, 2026
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): Outside
DEPARTMENT: Dallas Water Utilities Department
PRIORITY: Infrastructure
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SUBJECT
Title
Authorize a professional services contract with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. dba Stantec to provide engineering services required for a feasibility study of the Main Stem Balancing Reservoir Project - Not to exceed $2,949,946.00 - Financing: Water Capital Improvement F Fund
*In alignment with Long Range Water Supply Plan.
Body
BACKGROUND
Dallas Water Utilities Department (DWU) is a regional and municipal water provider serving more than 2.6 million customers across a 700-square-mile service area. To reliably meet future customer demands, DWU conducts long-range planning to identify strategies capable of supporting water needs over a 50 year planning horizon. DWU has participated in long-range water supply planning efforts at the local, regional, and statewide levels for decades and most recently completed its 2024 Long Range Water Supply Plan (LRWSP). To meet projected water demands through 2080 and beyond, the 2024 LRWSP identified eight recommended strategies and nine alternate strategies.
One of the recommended strategies is the Main Stem Balancing Reservoir (MSBR). Originally identified in the 2014 LRWSP, the MSBR was reevaluated and reaffirmed as a recommended strategy in the 2024 LRWSP. This strategy includes a proposed off-channel reservoir (OCR) in Ellis County, southeast of Bristol, with an estimated storage capacity of approximately 300,000 acre-feet. The reservoir could store DWU return flows-and potentially return flows from other entities-as well as stormwater runoff originating from the upstream Trinity River watershed. Because the proposed diversion location is downstream of the confluence with the East Fork of the Trinity River, the MSBR could also facilitate transfers between DWU's eastern and western w...
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