Edinburg moves to map 20-year water and sewer buildout
City of Edinburg Utilities Department, Texas · Meeting date: November 4, 2026 · Published: November 6, 2026
Edinburg City Council has authorized negotiations for a professional-services contract to prepare a 20-year water and sewer master plan. The study will model the utility system, identify capacity constraints and establish a capital improvement programme for a network serving a fast-growing city.
Key points
- Council approved the selection of a firm and authorized the city manager to negotiate a contract under RFQ 2027-1 for the water and sewer master plan.
- The plan will use hydraulic modelling to assess current and future system capacity, including the city’s two water treatment plants and 13.5mgd wastewater treatment plant.
- Edinburg operates 26mgd of combined water-treatment capacity, six water towers, two booster stations, 54 lift stations, 506 miles of water mains and 411 miles of sewer lines.
- Halff Associates ranked first among two respondents, with a score of 91, ahead of Guzman & Munoz Engineering and Surveying at 77.
- Separately, the council approved support for a proposed 5mgd reclaimed-water facility with Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1.
Full report
Edinburg City Council has taken the first step towards a 20-year programme of water and sewer investment, approving the selection of a consultant and authorizing the city manager to negotiate a professional-services contract for RFQ 2027-1, the city’s water and sewer master plan.
The plan is intended to respond to what the city describes as “tremendous growth.” It will update the hydraulic models of both systems, identify current and future capacity constraints, establish priorities for capacity additions, and produce a 20-year capital improvement programme.
Edinburg’s existing utility footprint includes two water treatment plants with combined capacity of 26mgd, a 13.5mgd wastewater treatment plant, six water towers, two booster stations and 54 lift stations. The city operates 506 miles of water mains ranging from 2in to 30in, and 411 miles of sewer lines ranging from 6in to 36in.
The consultant’s scope includes an assessment of treatment plants, distribution and collection networks, using available land-use, supply, demand, flow, pressure and elevation data to calibrate hydraulic models. The resulting analysis is to test the existing system against performance criteria covering items including storage, fire flow, operating pressures, pipe sizing and reliability.
The future-capacity work will project annual and monthly water demand and sewer use through 2050 under a future buildout land-use scenario. The consultant must also prepare an asset-management plan, including condition assessment, rehabilitation or replacement needs and preventive-maintenance programmes. The city specified that it will require modelling in InfoWater Pro and InfoWorks ICM, and training for utility staff in use of the model.
Two firms submitted qualifications. Halff Associates ranked first with a score of 91, followed by Guzman & Munoz Engineering and Surveying with 77. The master-plan work will be funded from the utility fund.
The council also approved a non-binding resolution supporting Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1’s proposed 5mgd reclaimed-water treatment facility. The resolution supports intergovernmental cooperation and the drainage district’s pursuit of legislative appropriations, grants and other financial assistance, but does not appropriate city funds, incur debt, transfer property or water rights, or establish an operating agreement.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: City Council Meeting, City of Edinburg Utilities Department