Why Plano is rehabbing the Parker Road water tower now — and what the PFAS-free upgrade means
Plano TX – The city is spending about $7.7 million to rehab the Parker Road water tower, replacing aging coatings and adding PFAS-free materials.
Plano is in the middle of a roughly $7.7 million rehabilitation of the Parker Road water tower near Premier Drive, a visible public-works project that is less about a sudden problem and more about keeping an aging utility asset in service.
The project is at the city-operated tower on the west side of Premier Drive, about 1,500 feet south of Parker Road. Construction began in December 2025, according to Community Impact, and the latest reported timeline points to completion in fall 2026. For nearby residents, that means the work is already active and the tower’s protective drape is likely to remain part of the landscape for a while.
What Plano is doing at the site
In plain terms, the city is stripping off the tower’s old protective coating and replacing it with a newer one intended to help the steel structure last longer. City materials describe the work as sandblasting and repainting, along with structural and safety improvements, valve-related upgrades, better vehicle access for staff, and other site work tied to long-term operations and maintenance.
That matters because water towers are not static landmarks. They are working pieces of infrastructure that need periodic upkeep to prevent corrosion, preserve storage capacity, and avoid more disruptive and expensive repairs later. The city’s winter progress report lists the Parker Road water tower project at $7,668,138 and says it is being funded through the Water & Sewer Fund.
Why PFAS is part of the story
The upgrade is also drawing attention because Plano says the new coating is PFAS-free. EPA describes PFAS as widely used, long-lasting chemicals that break down very slowly, and says scientific studies have linked exposure to some PFAS to harmful health effects. At the same time, EPA also says researchers are still working to answer important questions about exposure and risk.
That context matters, but so does the limit of what local sources actually show. Neither the city documents nor the recent local reporting describe this Parker Road project as proof of a current contamination event at the tower or an announced drinking-water failure. The safer reading is that Plano is making a materials choice during a scheduled rehabilitation and trying to avoid using PFAS where it can.
Why this matters in Plano
The Parker Road structure is not new. A city planning and zoning record describes it as an existing utility structure owned and operated by Plano, with the property originally approved and built in the 1970s as a water tower. That helps explain why the city is spending real money now: this is long-cycle maintenance on older infrastructure that still has a job to do.
For residents, the practical takeaway is straightforward. The project is a reminder that dependable water service depends on routine capital work that most people only notice when it becomes visible. In this case, the visibility comes from the draped tower, the active construction site, and the size of the investment.
The main thing to watch next is timing. Plano’s winter city report had earlier suggested a spring completion, but the newer Community Impact report says fall 2026. That suggests the schedule has shifted, so neighbors and commuters near Parker Road and Premier Drive should expect the site to remain active until the city posts a more updated construction window.
