LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The city is asking the state for more time to begin construction on the Lake Seven reservoir project as it waits for federal permit approval.
The Lubbock City Council recently approved Assistant City Manager, Erik Rejino’s request to ask the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for an extension. The city’s state permit, granted in 2024, requires construction to begin within two years.
While the city has state approval, it still needs a separate federal permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure the dammed, man-made lake will be a safe source of drinking water.
“We will be submitting our draft application to the Army Corps at the end of this week, so they will have a first look at the full application,” Rejino said. “We’re anticipating that we will receive that permit in the next two years.”
Without the extension, the city runs the risk of having to restart the whole process.
Project spans decades of planning
The idea for the Canyon Lake system stretches back to the 1960s, with formal planning for the Lake Seven reservoir beginning in 2006.
Two decades later the project, located off East 50th Street, at the historic V8 Ranch, is coming to fruition.
Rejino describes the Lake Seven reservoir project as “sustainable, renewable and local,” and a huge part of the city’s 100-year water plan.
“We’re anticipating being able to pull about 12 million gallons a day from Lake Seven,” Rejino said.
Lubbock’s water sources
Lubbock currently gets its water from a combination of groundwater and surface water sources. Rejino said these sources are adequate but believes it’s important to have a local source.
Lubbock seeks state permit extension for Lake Seven reservoir project(City of Lubbock)
“If one of my other sources goes down for maintenance or maybe it’s a wind event, I can pull upwards of 34 million gallons a day.” Rejino said. “We’re going to size it appropriately, so we could not do that long term, but we could certainly do it in the short run, so it gives us the ability to continue to operate as a city, businesses can continue and it gives us more resilience.”
Timeline and investment
Rejino said Lake Seven is not only a long-term investment into the city but its citizens.
“We have a very good supply today, but it is a continuous investment to maintain, to allow more folks to move to Lubbock, to allow businesses to grow.” Rejino said. “We’re obviously building Lake Seven as a water supply, we need the water supply, we need a local supply for redundancy, resilience and storage,” he said.
The city hopes to begin construction by 2029 and begin to pull water out of Lake Seven by 2032.
Rejino said residents interested in the project or with questions can call the city of Lubbock’s water utility department or visit their website to view the project’s plan.
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