Courtesy Graphic/City of Mabank
An illustration of the new $5,905,510., 750,000 gallon-water tower located on U.S. Highway 175 in Mabank. A completion date is set for June. The tower is part of a $28,798,000 water infrastructure update that will support the steady growth of the City of Mabank, according to Mabank City Administrator Bryant Morris.

MABANK–In 1926, downtown Mabank’s skyline changed by adding a 50,000 gallon, 100-feet-tall steel tower and water tank. It was placed in the middle of town behind city hall. At a cost of $4,750, Mabank had its first water tower. Over the next 99 years, two more water towers were added to the ever-changing skyline of the city. Today, all three water towers are still in operation.
But as the city continues to grow, the need for more clean water continues to grow. City Adminstrator Bryant Morris, Mayor Randy Teague and the City Council are trying to keep a step ahead of the growth in Mabank. According to Morris, Mabank is growing at a rate of 11.73% annually and 72.4% since the last census. Thus, the planning for an updated water system became a priority for the city.
Morris explained the water map by starting with where the raw water intake is located in the Loon Bay area. This is where it all begins, as the water is pulled in from Cedar Creek Lake and travels to the water treatment plant, which is in Gun Barrel City. From the plant, it goes to the storage tanks which there are three as of now, they are called elevated tanks or water towers. The water then goes to one of the four pump stations and out to the customers. With the continuing growth of the City of Mabank all these areas needed updates, especially since it has been 100 years since the beginning of the water infrastructure in Mabank.
So, where to begin? Of course, money is needed. Morris said, “I want to make sure that the work we are doing matches the money that we are borrowing. The work is covering the life of the loan.” Morris continued, “So everything we have planned and engineered on this is a 30-year note through the (Texas) Water Development Board. We wanted to make sure that when we did this that our planning put us far enough ahead into the future that our planning took care of the growth.”  When talking to the engineers, Morris said that any work that the city is doing is going to match the money. 
The note for all the projects is $28,798,000. Morris said, “The Water Development Board will not allow a city to show what increases will be. They will not allow a city to make an increase to get to the money. They have to take the city audits, which was done by an outside firm, to make sure that the city can pay the loan with money that is currently being brought in.” According to Morris, the loan is worked up  by what a city is currently bringing in, no projections can be contributed. Morris stated, “This is not something that is an added cost to our citizens. This is not something that we have to go out and raise taxes or fees.”
The funds were approved in 2022, and work began March 2024 with a completion date of 450 calendar days. The most visual item on the list is a 750,000-gallon elevated water storage tank. It will be nearing completion in June of this year. It is located west of Mabank on U.S. Highway 175 across from Mabank High School. The tower will be number four in the collection of Mabank water towers. The cost of the elevated water tower is $5,905,510, which is included in the $28,798,000. The new tower will have the town’s name affixed to the east and west sides, and the Mabank Panthers logo will be seen from the high school. The tower will have lights that will shine at night so those traveling on U.S. Highway 175 will be able to identify their location. Morris said about the new tower, “This will help the plant run at a constant instead of overworking in stress times, such as the hot summer.”
In all, the new water infrastructure began 99 years ago with the building of the still-standing first water tower in Mabank. Since that time, two more water towers, have been built with one in progress, Cedar Creek Lake is now the main source of water, water treatment plants and pump stations have been built and are now in the process of being updated. Morris said his vision for this project is “upgrading to meet our current needs and demands to plan and prepare for the future needs of the City of Mabank.”