The 150-mile, $2.3 billion Integrated Pipeline project, or IPL, is a joint water supply project between Dallas Water Utilities and the Tarrant Regional Water District. After more than a decade of design and construction, the joint section of the IPL is now operational as of May 2022. The pipeline connects to existing water supplies in East Texas and adds significant water supply capacity to the regional water system.
A lot of planning and a little serendipity went into making the IPL a reality. Turns out DWU and TRWD each had separate plans to bring water from East Texas into the Metroplex. And both entities were in the process of developing their plans when they realized that they had similar timelines and that their respective projects would be built in roughly the same locations. So, instead of building two pipelines, DWU and TRWD decided to build one joint pipeline. The move saves taxpayers more than a billion dollars in capital and energy costs over the life of the project.
For more information, see this recent TRWD news item or see a recent Texas Water Development Board video here.