Borger wants some of Amarillo's water, and the Amarillo City Council will today consider letting our Panhandle neighbors have it - for a price.
As long as safeguards are in place protecting Amarillo's interests, an interlocal agreement on today's Amarillo City Council agenda between Amarillo and Borger appears the neighborly thing to do.
The Amarillo City Council - which has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall - will consider an interlocal agreement allowing the city of Borger to purchase up to 3 million gallons of water a day of Amarillo's allotment from the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority.
According to Amarillo City Manager Jarrett Atkinson, the interlocal agreement is unique as far as Amarillo is concerned.
Borger will pay the city of Amarillo $1.23 per 1,000 gallons of water it uses on a daily basis, with a maximum of 3 million gallons a day.
Breaking it down, Borger will be paying Amarillo for water Amarillo obtains from the CRMWA. Whatever water Borger does not use from Amarillo's daily CRMWA allotment stays with Amarillo.
The money Amarillo earns from this agreement will go into the city's water and wastewater utility fund.
The agreement can be described as a safety valve for Borger until a well field is operational. The agreement begins March 1, 2015 and ends Sept. 30, 2016, unless Borger's Northwest Well Field project is completed first. The contract is also "interruptible," according to Atkinson, at Amarillo's discretion.
"The perfect world for them (Borger) - they don't take any of this water," Atkinson said.
Let's assume Borger uses the maximum of 3 million gallons of water a day, which is not likely. According to Atkinson, that number represents an "ultimate" percentage of about 11 percent of Amarillo's daily CRMWA allotment, and less than three percent of Amarillo's overall daily water capability.
"We're very comfortable with the ability to supply this (water), up to 3 million (gallons) a day, if they have to draw upon it," Atkinson said. "We're comfortable that will produce no negative impact to our ability to supply water to the homes, businesses and industry in Amarillo."
Considering the specifics of the agreement, and that Amarillo can suspend the agreement in a worst-case scenario, Borger is welcome to share in Amarillo's water.