Fulshear locked in a guaranteed surface water supply for the next two decades after finalizing an agreement with the North Fort Bend Water Authority (NFBWA).

The deal, announced Tuesday, Sept. 29, on the city's website, commits the authority to deliver at least 1.4 million gallons of water per day, measured on a 30-day average.

The authority cannot reduce that amount.

The agreement runs for an initial 20-year term with automatic three-year renewals. It also represents a step toward resolving a rate dispute between Fulshear and the NFBWA that had reached the state's Fifteenth Court of Appeals.

"This agreement gives Fulshear something every growing community needs, but that we have not previously had: certainty …" City Manager Zach Goodlander said in the announcement. He added that the guaranteed supply will help with infrastructure planning and reduce the city's reliance on groundwater.

An independent rate study found no fee adjustment is expected through 2030, based on current projections. The authority has also hired a rate analyst to study whether the gap between its surface water and groundwater reduction fees could be eliminated.

Water delivery to the Fulshear Bend Water Plant is anticipated by Dec. 31, 2027. The FM 1093 Water Plant would follow by Dec. 31, 2028. The authority said it will use its best efforts to meet those dates.

The agreement is structured on a take-or-pay basis. Fulshear will generally pay for the full 1.4-million-gallon daily commitment whether or not it uses all of it. The water price is not fixed for 20 years and remains subject to the authority's rates and fees, which may change.

NFBWA Director Bob Patton said the authority began planning water delivery in 2005, when Fulshear's population was just 875. He said the vision will become reality next year, "just in time to slow subsidence and support Fulshear's rapidly growing population."

The deal also eliminates the need for about $40 million in planned improvements at the McKinnon Water Plant, as Covering Katy first reported Sept. 22. Council Member Camron Miller, who led a committee reviewing the city's water and wastewater needs, said the broader infrastructure review has cut roughly $90 million from planned capital projects.

Council Member Randy Connor, who also served on the committee, said the agreement gives residents clarity about how the water authority relationship will work going forward. Connor made the remarks at the Sept. 15 council meeting, as Covering Katy reported.

The NFBWA was created by the Texas Legislature in 2005 to help water providers in northern Fort Bend County comply with groundwater-reduction requirements by securing alternative supplies, primarily treated surface water.

The 1.4-million-gallon daily minimum was based on Fulshear's winter-average water demand, when irrigation and other seasonal use are lower, according to city staff.