Water problems tied to the Greenbelt Municipal &Industrial Water Authority are putting several Panhandle communities under pressure, with Childress facing a prolonged boil water notice while city leaders search for both an immediate fix and a more reliable long-term water supply.

Childress has been under a citywide boil water notice since Sept. 8 after low disinfectant levels were detected in the water system. Mayor Cary Preston declared a local state of disaster Sept. 11 as the problem continued.

According to the city, extreme heat, high ground temperatures and ongoing drought conditions contributed to disinfectant levels falling below acceptable levels. Childress is also operating under Stage 4 water restrictions.

City Manager Kevin Hodges said officials initially hoped the disinfectant problem could be resolved within a few days. Crews flushed water lines in an effort to move chlorine through the system, but the effort did not correct the problem across the entire city.

“The city of Childress is limited because, number one, we don’t treat the water. We only distribute the water,” Hodges said.

That distinction is important because Childress receives its water through the Greenbelt Municipal & Industrial Water Authority rather than treating its own supply.

According to Hodges, the Greenbelt system relies on lake water along with 10 wells. But he said a Greenbelt representative told him the wells would not be enough to supply the entire system if the lake were to go dry.

The current boil water notice has therefore become more than an immediate water-quality problem. It has also renewed questions about where Childress will get its water in the years ahead.

Residents Feel the Effects

For Childress residents, the boil water notice has disrupted some of the most basic parts of daily life.

“We are having to buy bottled water. We can’t use ice. We can’t brush our teeth in the water. We can’t wash our hands with the water,” resident Jordan Farus said.

Farus said residents are also looking for answers about the city's long-term plans.

“We really don’t know what the plan is with our city,” Farus said. “Greenbelt is our water source, and it’s been low for quite some time, even before the data centers got here.”

The state is expected to distribute water to Childress residents by Wednesday, while the boil water notice remains in effect.

Childress Looks for Another Water Source

Hodges said engineers have already been working to identify potential new water sources, but developing an alternative is complicated by Childress' existing agreement with Greenbelt.

According to Hodges, the contract requires Childress to pay Greenbelt twice for water the city obtains from another source. He said previous city councils were concerned about the financial impact on residents if the city developed another supply while operating under the existing agreement.

Still, Childress is pursuing options.

The city has sought state funding that could help pay for new wells, water lines and other infrastructure. Hodges said Childress scored highly for up to $16 million through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and is awaiting the results of another water infrastructure grant application.

If those funding efforts are successful, Hodges said Childress could have more than $20 million available for improvements to its water system.

Another potential source involves data center developer Lancium.

According to Hodges, Lancium is willing to construct approximately 16 miles of water line connecting its wells to Greenbelt's reservoir. Water from those wells could then be treated and blended into the Greenbelt system.

Officials hope that additional water could begin entering the system during the first quarter of 2027.

Childress residents will have an opportunity to hear more about the city's plans during a public meeting scheduled for Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.

Quanah Also Dealing With Greenbelt Water Problems

Childress is not the only Greenbelt customer dealing with water problems.

The city of Quanah announced that bottled water distribution would begin Tuesday at 9 a.m. behind Quanah City Hall. The water was made available through local officials and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Quanah has spent several weeks under a boil water notice while the city works with the Greenbelt Municipal & Industrial Water Authority on projects intended to bring chlorine levels into compliance.

Officials asked residents picking up bottled water to remain in their vehicles and follow instructions from the Quanah Fire Department.

The situation in Quanah adds to concerns about the broader Greenbelt system as drought and water-quality issues affect communities that depend on it.

Clarendon Confronts Discolored Water, Supply Concerns

Clarendon is facing its own set of water problems.

City officials said residents have made multiple complaints about discolored water, an issue discussed during the city's most recent council meeting. An engineer plans to replace a pipe believed to be contributing to the discoloration.

The city is also working on using ammonia as part of the process to address the discoloration and is dealing with ongoing Texas Commission on Environmental Quality violations involving contaminant levels.

Interim City Manager Floyd Hartman said the city is working to provide safe water to the community.

At the same time, Clarendon is preparing for the possibility of increasingly low levels at Greenbelt Lake.

The Greenbelt Municipal & Industrial Water Authority plans to add another water supply through a new well field approximately 20 miles from Clarendon. That project is expected to be online by November 2027 and could provide additional water for surrounding areas as well.

A Problem Bigger Than One Boil Water Notice

Childress, Quanah and Clarendon are confronting the same underlying vulnerability: their dependence on a water system facing drought, declining lake levels and water-quality challenges.

For Childress, the current boil water notice has brought that vulnerability into sharp focus. Flushing lines may address part of the immediate disinfectant problem, but it does not answer the larger question of whether the region has enough dependable water for the future.

That is why the projects now being discussed — new wells, additional pipelines, state infrastructure funding and supplemental water supplies — could ultimately prove more consequential than the current boil water notice.

For now, Childress residents remain under the notice and Stage 4 restrictions while officials work on the immediate problem. But with Greenbelt communities already planning projects stretching into 2027, the larger water issue is unlikely to disappear when the current notices are eventually lifted.