Tarrant Regional Water District and Dallas Water Utilities plan to be operating the Integrated Pipeline project linking Lake Palestine to other North Texas lakes within five years, according to the project's website. Once completed the pipeline, which is a joint project of the two major water utilities, will run 150 miles from Lake Palestine to Lake Benbrook. There also will be connections to Cedar Creek Lake and Richland-Chambers Reservoirs. The pipeline's construction is expected to cost $1.6 billion, according to American Water Intelligence. Raw water will be transported by the pipeline to source lakes for both utilities. The pipeline's size will range from 84 inches to 108 inches in diameter, and it will require at least four pump stations. The plan is for the system to enable the two utilities to deliver a combined 350 million gallons per day of raw water to North Texas. It is expected to provide drought protection for 5 million people and to accommodate growth of 1.5 million new inhabitants. The project is expected to provide more flexibility in transporting water from reservoirs to the major urban areas. Transfers of water likely will occur during peak periods and drought. By combining resources the two utilities estimate the joint-venture project will save $500 million in capital design and construction expenses and $1 billion in energy savings in the long-term life of the project. The two utilities will also jointly operate the pipeline. Originally, Dallas had planned to construct the pipeline from Lake Palestine alone. There is expected to be an economic benefit to North Texas as well. The project is being designed by 20 professional firms, and 45 consultants are participating in the engineering phase. Tarrant Regional Water District provides water for 1.8 million people in 11 North Central Texas Counties. It serves 70 cities, including Fort Worth, Arlington and the Trinity River Authority of Texas. The district owns four water reservoirs, including Cedar Creek Lake. Its customer base is expected to grow to 4.3 million people by 2060. Dallas Water Utilities, which is a division of the City of Dallas, serves 2.3 million people and 27 cities. The city owns Lake Ray Hubbard and maintains water rights at six other reservoirs, including Lake Palestine, which is not connected to the Dallas system now. Dallas also expects large growth in the coming decades, and the pipeline project is expected to provide adequate water through at least 2035. Expectations of continued drought helped drive the plan to construct the pipeline. The project is one of the largest, most costly public infrastructure projects since the building of DFW International Airport in the 1970s. Dallas-Fort Worth is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the nation with 6.5 million people.