Water Sources

The City of Tyler currently utilizes both surface water and ground water in its water supply system, as follows:

Surface Water - 96%

The City of Tyler's primary source of drinking water is from one of three lakes: Lake Tyler, Lake Tyler East and Lake Palestine. Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East are owned and operated by the City of Tyler. Lake Tyler is located on Prairie Creek, while Lake Tyler East is located on Mud Creek. Both are located in the Angelina River watershed.

Lake Palestine is owned and operated by the Upper Neches River Municipal Water Authority and is located in the Neches River watershed. The City of Tyler owns the rights to 68,900 acre-feet of water in Lake Palestine.

Groundwater - 4%

In addition, the City uses twelve deep water wells located throughout the City to supplement its surface water supply. The wells were completed as needed beginning in the late 1930's through 1996. The wells produce from the Carrizo Wilcox sand to depths ranging from 600 feet to 1,100 feet.

Water Treatment Plants

The City of Tyler owns and operates two water treatment plants:

Golden Road Water Treatment Plant

The Golden Road Water Treatment Plant was constructed in 1951, with several upgrades and renovations occurring over the years. It is a rapid sand filter facility that uses sedimentation, flocculation, filtration and disinfection. This plant accepts raw water from Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East and has a current treatment capacity of about 34 million gallons per day (mgd).

Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant

The Lake Palestine Water Treatment Plant, along with the raw water pumping station located on Lake Palestine, was completed in 2003. It is also a rapid sand filter facility that uses sedimentation, flocculation, filtration and disinfection. This plant has a current treatment capacity of about 30 mgd, but can eventually be expanded to treat up to 60 mgd.