Author: LFUD

Surface Water

Lake Forest Utility District (the “District”) is located within the North Harris County Regional Water Authority’s (“NHCRWA”) Groundwater Reduction Program (“GRP”) and is mandated to receive surface water.

The District currently uses groundwater as its water source, which is disinfected with chlorine. The NHCRWA uses chloramines to disinfect their water.

The District is scheduled to receive surface water in the fourth quarter of 2024. To prepare for the delivery of surface water, the District must convert their current disinfection system from chlorine to chloramine disinfection.

The extension of NHCRWA surface water lines and the chloramines conversion projects are currently in construction and is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.

Storm Preparedness: Case Study

When Hurricane Harvey struck the Houston area, historic levels of rainfall significantly impacted the operations of water and wastewater utilities across the region. Four feet of floodwaters caused the Lake Forest Utility District’s main water treatment plant to go offline for several days.

The District contacted Baxter & Woodman to evaluate the facility for damage and necessary modifications. After temporary emergency repairs to the plant were made, Baxter & Woodman recommended additional resiliency upgrades to reduce the risk of essential equipment failure in future flood events while providing cost savings to the District. Improvements were designed to elevate critical infrastructure and electrical equipment above Harvey’s flood level, including raising the roof and wall height of the control building by approximately five feet, installing an interior mezzanine deck to house the new, raised motor controls center, and constructing a raised concrete pad for outdoor placement of the new generator along with a metal pedestrian platform around the perimeter to provide access for maintenance.

Baxter & Woodman helped the District coordinate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to secure $294,000 in reimbursements for the $926,100 repair and mitigation project.

Click here to read the case study.

Important Notice: Lake Forest UD is About to Change Residual Disinfectant from Free Chlorine to Chloramines

Lake Forest UD, PWS ID 1010494, will be changing the disinfectant that we use from chlorine to chloramines as Lake Forest UD will be receiving treated surface water from North Harris County Regional Water Authority. This change is intended to benefit our customers by reducing the levels of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in the system, while still providing protection from waterborne disease.

However, the change to chloramines can cause problems to a person dependent on dialysis machines. A condition known as hemolytic anemia can occur if the disinfectant is not completely removed from the water that is used for the dialysate. Consequently, the pretreatment scheme used for the dialysis units must include some means, such as a charcoal filter, for removing the chloramine prior to this date. Medical facilities should also determine if additional precautions are required for other medical equipment.

In addition, chloraminated water may be toxic to fish. If you have a fish tank, please make sure that the chemicals or filters that you are using are designed for use in water that has been treated with chloramines. You may also need to change the type of filter that you use for the fish tank.

You will be notified when the date of conversion is to begin in a separate notice.

If you have questions concerning this matter, you may contact Inframark, the operator for Lake Forest UD, at our 24-hour Customer Service Line (281) 398-8211.