About NAWSC
The System
General
The North Alamo Water Supply Corporation is a legally chartered corporation operating under the laws of the State of Texas for the purpose of furnishing a potable water and wastewater utility service for rural residents of eastern Hidalgo County, Willacy County, and northwestern Cameron County as described in Certificates of Convenience and Necessity Nos. 10553 and 20645 (CCN). The Corporation’s CCN boundary encompasses 973 square miles and either surrounds or is adjacent to 16 cities and/or communities that operate public water systems.
The system presently serves over 33,000 meter connections, which include households, numerous businesses, 24 schools, and six other Public Water Systems, from six surface water treatment plants and one reverse osmosis treatment plant. The 33,000 meter connections represent an estimated population of 140,000. The surface water treatment plants treat surface water conveyed by six irrigation districts. The original source of the raw water is the Rio Grande River. The reverse osmosis treatment plant treats brackish groundwater. Of the 33,000 meter connections, approximately 2,000 are also served by the Corporation’s wastewater system.
The Corporation’s operating policies, rates, tariffs and regulations are formulated and implemented by a nine-member Board of Directors elected by the members of the Corporation.
Water Treatment and Storage
The following table provides a summary of existing treatment, pumping, and storage facilities owned any operated by the Corporation.
| Facility | Treatment Capacity (MGD) | Raw Water Pump Capacity (GPM) | High Service Pump Capacity (GPM) | Ground Storage Capacity (MG) | Elevated Storage Capacity (MG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Treatment Plant No. 1 | 2.00 | 2,800 | 2,900 | 1.00 | 0.05 |
| Water Treatment Plant No. 2 | 2.50 | 3,600 | 3,200 | 0.80 | 0.10 |
| Water Treatment Plant No. 3 | 1.00 | 1,400 | 1,400 | 0.18 | 0.20 |
| Water Treatment Plant No. 4 | 4.00 | 4,200 | 3,500 | 0.53 | 0.50 |
| Water Treatment Plant No. 5 | 9.60 | 9,000 | 11,000 | 4.00 | 0.35 |
| Water Treatment Plant No. 6 | 1.30 | 1,800 | 985 | 0.05 | 0.10 |
| Total Capacity | 20.40 | 22,800 | 22,985 | 6.53 | 1.30 |
Water Distribution
The Corporation has an extensive water distribution system consisting of approximately 2,500 miles of pipeline varying in size from 1 ½” to 16″ in diameter. There are nine (9) booster stations and eight (8) elevated storage towers at various locations throughout the distribution system for flow and pressure maintenance.
Water Rights
The Corporation either by ownership or contractual agreements has 18,273 acre-feet of water right under its control. This amount of raw water will support an average daily flow of 16.313 MGD. This number does not include the water rights the Corporation receives from other utilities that purchase wholesales water from the Corporation. When the Corporation extends water service to developing properties, it requires that either the water rights associated with the properties be assigned to the Corporation by the applicable irrigation district or that the developers of the properties provide the funding for the purchase of an equivalent amount of water rights. The Corporation has established this policy to ensure that sufficient water rights are available to support the increase in demand due to growth.
Wastewater Treatment and Collection
The wastewater system presently serves over 1,230 connections in the communities of San Carlos, Hargill, Monte Alto, and La Sara from four wastewater treatment plants located in Hidalgo and Willacy Counties.
The following table provides a summary of existing treatment and collection system facilities owned and operated by the Corporation.
| Facility | Treatment Capacity (MGD) | Permit Type | Perimit Parameters | Lift Stations | Grinder Stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Sara Wastewater Treatment Plant | .100 | Discharge | 30/90 | 2 | 0 |
| San Carlos Wastewater Treatment Plant | .124 | Land Application | 30 | 3 | 4 |
| Hargill Wastewater Treatment Plant | .122 | Land Application | 30/90 | 2 | 1 |
| Monte Alto Wastewater Treatment Plant | .300 | Discharge | 30/90 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | .646 | 9 | 5 |
The Corporation’s wastewater collection system consists of 29 miles of pipelines ranging in size from 6″ to 12″. There are nine lift stations and five grinder stations which collect and transfer the wastewater to the Corporation’s four wastewater treatment plants.
