Belton city council approves agreement with Brazos River Authority for $2.4 million pipeline deal

BELTON, Texas (KWTX) - A mile long stretch in Belton will soon be part of a major pipeline project. This, after the city council and Brazos River Authority agreed to the more than two million dollar deal.

The project will consist of a six-mile long underground pipeline that will connect Lake Belton with Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

Paul Romer with the city says only a mile of that pipeline will stretch through Belton, going from Lakeview Park to Sparta Road.

Brad Brunett at the Brazos River Authority says the pipeline isn’t intended for everyday use but when it is used, it will help them keep up with drought conditions.

“It’s not going to run very frequently but it’s needed in the future when we have really dry times to meet water demand for all the customers that we have that access water at Stillhouse Hollow,” Brunett explains.

While the BRA can use eminent domain, they’ve never had to and work hard with their partners to be able to avoid it.

“In our discussions with the city, I can tell you that while they knew we had that authority, it never came up in discussion as any kind of threat,” Brunett says.

Additionally, any construction can put property owners on edge but Romer assures residents this project will not touch anyone’s yard.

“We’re talking on people’s back fences so it won’t be a front yard project,” Romer explains.

It took about three years to put pen to paper on this agreement but Romer says the city wanted to make sure their residents were priority when putting this together. “They approached us and said we want to put a water line here, let’s talk about it. And then we came to an agreement that we felt would benefit Belton residents.”

The project isn’t slated to start until 2029 with completion expected for 2032.

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