Lubbock, Wolfforth city leaders celebrate historic water agreement, some residents upset

WOLFFORTH, Texas (KCBD) - City leaders from Lubbock and Wolfforth celebrated a historic partnership this morning: a shared water agreement.

For years, Wolfforth officials have had concerns about the city’s water supply. These concerns spanned from impurities and contamination to having enough water.

As Wolfforth has expanded over the years, city leaders, including Mayor Dr. Charles Addington, questioned how long the water supply could last.

“We relied on ground water,” Addington stated. “We had no surface water, so, everything came out of wells in the ground.”

When they reached out to their neighbors for help, Lubbock City Councilwoman Dr. Jennifer Wilson said there was no hesitation.

“Nobody questioned sharing water with Wolfforth,” Wilson said. “They come into Lubbock, they spend their money in Lubbock, they work in Lubbock, their house may be here, but we’re all one and were gonna take care of each other.”

Wolfforth officially connected to Lubbock’s water supply on June 1. Lubbock is providing Wolfforth with half a million gallons of water a day.

However, some Wolfforth resident are upset with the deal.

“Is it gonna come without some pain? Absolutely not. But is it wonderful for our citizens? Absolutely,” Addington said.

Wolfforth will not only be paying for water, but the required infrastructure and distribution of the water. The payment for this will end up on the residents’ water bill.

“Growth does not come without a little bit of burden, and in the long run it’ll be great,” Addington said.

Although the city has not fully calculated how much those bills will increase, Wilson stated the benefits outweigh the costs.

“They will have access to clean water and all of our water sources while they continue to try to work from their end to diversify Wolfforth’s water,” Wilson said.

Within the next year, city crews will tie in a second line, connecting Lubbock and Wolfforth’s water lines on the north and south.

Wolfforth officials are looking to have water security for many years to come.

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