Wilmer’s Pinto Pump Station part of infrastructure improvement

WILMER – The project is called the Pinto Pump Station, and is part of the Dallas County Pleasant Run Improvements, as well as an infrastructure investment the Wilmer City Council has invested in for the city.

“We call it the City of Wilmer’s Pinto Pump Station,” said Joe Flores, Development Services Director, City of Wilmer.

“It is the city of Wilmer’s new water tower on Pleasant Run and Pinto Roads.

The underground water piping is in both Wilmer and Lancaster.”

The water tower is scheduled to go online in January.

Flores said the system is being pressure-tested this week, and is basically the equivalent of “the heart in a human body,” allowing the city to supply water to all of Wilmer’s residents.

“This project is a collaboration between Dallas County, the City of Lancaster – who will provide the City of Wilmer water from Dallas – and the City of Wilmer,” Flores explained.

Wilmer will own the new water tower and all the associated equipment, and all three entities will meet weekly at the job trailer next to the Pinto Pump Project.

While Dallas County will transmit the water tower infrastructure to the city of Wilmer in January, after that Wilmer will own and operate it.

A multimillion dollar undertaking under an inter-local agreement with Dallas County’s Commissioner’s Court, Flores said “The project is an undertaking lead in construction by Dallas County and it has been in the works for years.”

Flores got involved because he said he needed the water tower to be built for the elementary school to open, which he played a key role in recently.

“The elementary school’s fire suppression system will only work if the new water tower is operational,” Flores explained. “Two years ago, under DISD, my design team began working on the design of Wilmer’s first elementary school and it was back then I realized the city’s sensitivity with respect to water infrastructure.”

As part of the Dallas County Commissioner’s Court goal, Flores said “At the Wilmer ES groundbreaking, Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price indicated it is his goal to bring Dallas water to Wilmer. He calls the city of Wilmer, his “Dallas County Inland Port: Wilmer.” This endeavor accomplishes the Commissioner’s goal and it also falls in line with the will of the Wilmer City Council to invest in community infrastructure.”

The Pinto Pump Station could also bring more employment to the area.

“By bringing the requisite water infrastructure, Commissioner Price makes the area developable and hence people benefit via increased employment and clean water,” Flores concluded.