A new public access lagoon under construction in Magnolia is expected to be completed next year.
The Magnolia Lagoon is being developed at 200 Strawberry Spring Drive in Magnolia, Texas, per the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing. The first phase of the project is estimated to cost more than $30 million, which doesn’t include future surrounding amenities, according to the founder and CEO of the Lagoon Development Company Uri Man.
“We're very excited,” he told the Chronicle. “It's part of a large-scale mixed-use entertainment district that will have other uses around the lagoon.”
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Man said not all the amenities have been determined yet since they’re still early in construction. However, like the other lagoons in the Houston area, the new crystal clear lagoon’s 40-acre site will have a machine room, workshop, bathrooms and shower spaces, and staff areas.
Some plans include a swim-up bar, palapas and an amphitheater lawn with nearby game spaces. He highlighted the lagoon's potential for a floating obstacle course.
Man noted that the lagoon will also have eco-heated lagoon technology, which will be 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit during the colder months. He said his company plans to license the technology from Crystal Lagoons, a U.S. corporation.
Angel Lagoon is one of the existing lagoons that have considered using the technology, according to the company.
The technology uses the lagoon water to cool data centers or other digital processing facilities, which Crystal Lagoons officials say will reduce the energy required for digital operations.
With this technology, the lagoon's water cools the data center, and the lagoon is warmed without requiring additional energy, according to Iván Manzur, senior vice president of sales at Crystal Lagoons.
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“The eco-heated lagoon concept emerged as a solution to two converging global challenges: the need to reduce the massive energy waste of data centers and the desire to make lagoons functional and attractive year-round, even in colder climates,” Manzur said.
The decision to bring a lagoon to Magnolia came after Man said they studied where demand was highest, including where people were driving from to enjoy beach life.
“You don’t want the lagoons to be too close to each other because then they cannibalize each other in terms of demand, but we strategically locate them so that we know they’re going to be successful,” Man said.
Man also highlighted how lagoons will be a great attraction for nearby residents. He said lagoons are a social and economic equalizer because they allow people to enjoy crystal clear water at accessible prices.
The construction is set to be completed in April of 2026.
March 25, 2025
Reporter
Octavia Johnson is a general assignment reporter for the Houston Chronicle.
Before joining the Chronicle, Octavia worked as a digital content producer at WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tenn., where she became a leader in producing fast-paced, audience-focused content.
Octavia graduated from UNC Pembroke with a bachelor's degree in journalism before earning her master's degree in media and communications at Norfolk State University.