US city approves Lower Brushy Creek wastewater plant design

The Hutto City Council in Texas, US, has approved the design of the Lower Brushy Creek wastewater treatment plant.

The wastewater treatment plant to be constructed at an estimated cost of $13.5m will be located at FM 1660 South in Hutto.

In the beginning of February 2013, the council decided to move forward with the $1.7m design of the two-million gallon plant.

Hutto City assistant manager Micah Grau was quoted by Statesman.com as saying that new businesses and residences are expected to bear the construction cost of the plant.

Hutto City Mayor Debbie Holland said, "We have seen a steady increase in building permits in the last couple of months and looking at the market of available houses they are selling quickly."

City administrators are expecting that the new wastewater treatment plant will help the city to meet growing demand for water from increasing population.

City documents released with the January City Council agenda show that in 2012 the population in the city’s wastewater service area was 24,659, which is anticipated to rise by 53% to 37,664 by 2021.

Hutto city has one wastewater plant situated on CR 199, which serves about 5,000 homes and treats 1.7 million gallons per day.

Grau noted that the state law requires the city to build another plant, once the existing facility reaches certain amount of capacity.

The existing plant is currently treating 1.1 million to 1.2 million gallons of wastewater every day.

Construction of the Lower Brushy Creek wastewater treatment plant is expected to begin in 2014 and is anticipated to take 12 to 15 months to complete.

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Image: The new wastewater treatment plant in Hutto city is expected to treat two million gallons of wastewater. Photo: Courtesy of Nigel Wylie