City Says Lake Alan Henry Pipeline Projects Is Money Well Spent
By: Meredith Hillgartner
Updated: February 22, 2013
"Well we've got some very good water coming in from Lake Alan Henry," Spear said.
It is not easy finding water in West Texas, but Lubbock city engineers said they are receiving rave reviews for the water coming out of Lake Alan Henry.
"We have had a lot of our customers give us feedback in the south part of town," Spear said. "That is where Lake Alan Henry water comes in they really like the water saying, 'Hey what did you do different?"
It has been seven months since the Lake Alan Henry pipeline project started sending water into Lubbock.
Director Aubrey Spear said the project is going well.
"By the time summer rolls around and our peak demand, we'll be able to supply a peak of at least 15 million gallons a day from Lake Alan Henry."
Alan Henry is Lubbock;s alternative to using water from drought stricken Lake Meredith.
So far the pipeline provides water to 20% of the city.
Spear said he wants to double that.
"Within this decade it should be providing about 40% of our water supply," Spear said.
Water wells in Pampa and Muleshoe are the cities only other water resources-but Alan Henry is the closest at 50 miles away.
Critics worry the city could drain the lake, but Spear said that is not going to happen.
"The lake can handle16, 000 acre feet per year," Spear said. "And we are only able to draw with phase I of Lake Alan Henry approximately 8,000 acre feet a year."
The $200 million project is one of the most expensive in Lubbock history, but Spear said it is already proving its worth.
"Most definitely it was worth what we spent on that and its only going to keep getting better,"
Spear said.
