Nov 18th 2022 | Posted in Infrastructure, Texas Government Insider, Water Projects by Texas Government Insider

The Pflugerville City Council approved a $146 million contract to expand the city’s surface water treatment plant with construction set to begin in 2023 and an estimated completion in 2026.

The plant upgrade will increase water capacity and address damage caused by invasive hydrilla and zebra mussel infestations in Lake Pflugerville. The expanded water capacity will increase from almost 18 to 30 million gallons per day, providing water to 76,000 people with the ability to meet growing water demand for the next three decades.

Improvements to the plant identified in the city’s 2020 Water Master Plan include:

• The expansion of the existing lake raw water pump station.

• The addition of pumps and motors and a copper ion generation system for the pretreatment of the water and elimination of zebra mussels.

• A new high-surface pump station for delivery of water to the eastern side of the city.

• A new raw sludge pump station for more efficient solids handling.

• A new recycle pump station for a more efficient transfer of internal water.

• A new backwash clarifier.

• A retrofit of membrane filter systems.

The project will be funded by a $24 million loan from the Texas Water Development Board Drinking Water State Revolving Fund; $52 million from the U.S. Environmental Agency Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan (WIFIA); and the remaining $76 million will be funded through cash, impact fees, and city-issued debt.