Schertz seeks WSIG grant authorization for IH-35 dedicated water main (up to $21M)

Schertz City Council is set to vote on July 21, 2026 on whether to authorize the city to apply for Texas Water Development Board Water Supply and Infrastructure Grants (WSIG) funding for a dedicated water transmission main project tied to the city’s East Live Oak and IH-35 storage tank system.

The action is about permission to file an application—grant approval and the final award amount are not guaranteed. Still, the city memo lays out a tight clock for WSIG submissions and explains how the project is intended to improve water service reliability in parts of northern Schertz where pressure-related issues have been a concern.

What Schertz is asking City Council to approve on July 21

On July 21, 2026, Schertz is seeking Council approval of Resolution 26-R-080. City staff recommend approval of the resolution “authorizing application” for WSIG funds to be used for the “IH 35 Dedicated Transmission Main” project.

The city describes the grant request as a way to pursue up to $21 million in WSIG assistance for the water main. The memo also states that WSIG is structured so that no local match is required for the opportunity to design and construct the eligible water infrastructure.

The project in plain English: a 24-inch dedicated feed between tanks

According to the City Council memorandum and the project description included in the agenda packet, the core project is a 24-inch dedicated water transmission main connecting the East Live Oak tank system to the IH 35 tank at Holly Lane.

City staff say the “dedicated feed” is intended to improve service to the northern portion of Schertz by providing redundancy between the two storage facilities. The memo further links the project’s purpose to reducing pressures in the distribution system that is currently tied directly to an existing 16-inch transmission main.

The city’s stated customer benefit is that reducing those pressure-related problems should significantly reduce main breaks and other maintenance issues in the affected area of the system.

Money basics: CIP total, WSIG request, and how the city says funding would work

The memorandum says the dedicated transmission main project is currently identified in Schertz’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) with a budgetary total of $32.075 million. Staff also says the CIP financing is currently a combination of bonds and water reserves.

While the WSIG opportunity is described as not requiring a local match, the memo also notes that current funding can be used for costs in excess of awarded grant funds. It adds that if the grant application is successful, bond funds in the amount of the grant can be reallocated to help fund another project needed by the city.

One wording residents may want to watch: “IH 10” vs “IH 35” in the packet resolution

Most of the packet materials describe the project as connecting East Live Oak to the IH 35 tank at Holly Lane. However, the draft resolution language in the agenda packet includes the phrase “Dedicated Transmission Main from East Live Oak to the IH 10 Tank.”

Residents may want to look closely at the exact resolution text Council approves—staff’s supporting documents describe IH 35, but the draft resolution includes that different tank designation.

Timeline: Council vote, then the state deadline

If approved, Schertz would be authorized to file its WSIG application. The Texas Water Development Board lists a WSIG submission deadline of Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CST.

After the application is submitted, the next step is the state’s review and any potential award determination—so residents should view the July 21 vote as the start of the process, not the point at which the city receives the money.

Sources

• City of Schertz staff memo (Resolution 26-R-080) explains the WSIG request
• TWDB WSIG program page (application deadline)