Thousands in Central Texas face water curtailment during main line tie-in
(UI) — Bell County Water Control & Improvement District #1 (WCID 1) has announced a planned shutdown of its primary 48-inch water main to complete two critical infrastructure projects aimed at improving system resiliency and reliability.
The water main, which supplies roughly two-thirds of the total water to the cities of Nolanville, Harker Heights, Killeen, Copperas Cove, the 439 Water Supply Corporation, and Fort Cavazos, will be offline for several days while final connections are made.
One project involves tying in a new 5,000-foot, 54-inch steel pipeline constructed adjacent to a failure-prone section of concrete cylinder pipe originally installed in 1975. The steel pipeline, awarded to McLean Construction in April 2024, replaces a stretch near North Nolan Road that has seen repeated main breaks.
The second project includes a 3-million-gallon concrete storage tank under construction west of the pipeline upgrade. That work, awarded to DN Tanks, also requires a shutdown of the 48-inch line to complete final connections.
Both connections are expected to be completed in late May. During the shutdown, water delivery from the Belton Water Treatment Plant will rely solely on smaller 24-inch and 30-inch lines. To mitigate strain on the system, the district will implement Stage 3 of its Drought Contingency Plan, requesting at least a 30% reduction in water use across the service area.
“If water usage is significantly reduced during the connection period, we may avoid issuing a boil water notice,” WCID 1 stated. “However, if storage levels drop too low, a mandatory boil order will be required to protect public health.”
The utility will update customers daily on its website and issue a follow-up press release with specific shutdown times.
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