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Dan Buhman: Building New Water Projects and Relationships in North Texas
TRWD has built and maintains 100 miles of recreational trails along the Clear and West Forks of the Trinity River in Fort Worth.
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Municipal Water Leader: Please give our readers a brief introduction to TRWD.
Municipal Water Leader: Would you tell us about those capital improvement projects?
Municipal Water Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you how you came to be in your current position.
6 | MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER | March 2022
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF TRWD.
Dan Buhman: I spent 15 years as a consultant to water suppliers across the United States, planning for future needs and implementing large infrastructure projects across the nation. During that time, I worked on everything from finding new sources of supply and strategic water planning to river restoration and whitewater design. When I moved to the Fort Worth area, I honed in on strategic water planning as my focus. I joined TRWD about 8 years ago as the assistant general manager. During my time here, I have managed several divisions, and I became general manager last July.
Dan Buhman: We are one of the largest water suppliers in the region. We supply raw wholesale water to 2.3 million people in 11 rapidly growing North Texas counties. We also provide vital flood protection for the community. In the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built 30 miles of levees along the Trinity River through Fort Worth, and today we own, operate, and maintain that levee system. We also provide numerous recreational opportunities in and around Fort Worth, including parks, boat ramps, and 100 miles of recreational trails along the West and Clear Forks of the Trinity River and around Marine Creek Lake in northwestern Tarrant County. We also focus on environmental stewardship and have several environmental cleanup projects we are undertaking that make the community a safer place. TRWD has approximately 350 employees who work throughout our 11‑county service area. Our annual budget is approximately $200 million, and we have a capital improvement program that includes a $1 billion flood control project, a $2.3 billion water supply project, and two wetlands projects that cost several hundred million. We have a lot of capital improvements underway as we try to meet the needs of a rapidly growing region.
he Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) uses a system of pipelines and lakes to bring water to more than 2 million people in Fort Worth and surrounding areas. Municipal Water Leader spoke with General Manager Dan Buhman about his agency’s achievements and ethos as it embarks on some $1 billion in capital improvements to provide additional water supply; enhance flood control; and create new wetlands, water reuse, and storage.
