The Cleaner, Greener, More Affordable Water Cooler for Dallas – Fort Worth

In 1850, Browder’s Springs provided fresh water to the young Dallas-Fort Worth region. Back then, early settlers simply used the Trinity River to dispose of waste. It wasn’t long until the West Fork of the Trinity River, flowing from Fort Worth, became filthy with packinghouse and domestic wastes. Leaders recognized the need to improve Dallas-Fort Worth water quality. They turned to Trinity River’s Elm Fork, a promising water source, where city planners built a dam and pumping station in the mid-1890s. Although cleaner, the Elm Fork was prone to droughts and flooding. To further innovate, city planners constructed a series of manmade lakes to store the overflow from stormwater and help stem possible droughts.

Today, Dallas sources water from 5 area reservoirs: Lake Ray Hubbard, Lake Lewisville, Lake Grapevine, Lake Ray Roberts, and Lake Tawakoni. Fort Worth purchases raw river or lake water from Tarrant Regional Water District, one of the largest water suppliers in Texas. The Dallas-Fort Worth water distribution system represents one of the largest in the United States, consisting of 4,600 miles of pipes. Like many cities, Dallas-Fort Worth originally used cast iron pipes to deliver water, which are prone to corrosion and toxic contamination.

Dallas Water Supply uses chemical treatment, settling, filtering, and disinfection to treat drinking water. The regional government continues to replace old service lines. As of the recent Fort Worth Water Quality Report, the city has replaced 1,177 of the lead pipes with the goal of replacing all city-side lead service lines by the end of 2021. The recent Dallas Water Quality Report notes that, although the water treatment plants meet state and federal demands, old plumbing may still compromise water with dangerous toxins such as lead. Old water pipes also succumb to main breaks, especially during cold weather. This made national headlines during the winter storm crisis in February 2021, in which power outages and freezing temperatures caused pipes to burst, disrupting regional water supply for millions of residents.