With a pilot purification plant expected to be built by June, according to city documents, officials hope this program addresses Liberty Hill’s growing demand for water.
“The water that they’re going to be drinking is as pure as it could possibly be. It’ll be cleaner than bottled water,” said Vince Perkins, Liberty Hill environmental compliance officer.
The set-up
Liberty Hill’s current water demands are projected to increase by 12% per year for the next 10 years and then increase 16% per year through 2050, when ultimate build-out of the city’s water service area is expected, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
The city’s advanced water purification facility is expected to provide 4 million gallons of water per day by the end of 2030. Before the city can build the full-scale plant, officials are testing two different filtration methods. Testing will last eight to 12 months and take place at a pilot facility near the South Fork Wastewater Treatment Plant, Perkins said.
As the city’s water needs continue to grow to a projected 10.4 mgd by 2050, Perkins said that city leaders plan for the facility to serve Liberty Hill for the next 50 years.
“The building will be easily expandable, so they’ll just continue to add on to the building as we need to,” Perkins said.
During the pilot period, Perkins said city staff and consulting engineers will study data from the facility to determine which of the filtration methods is most suitable for Liberty Hill. The city will then submit its plan for the full plant to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Once the full-scale plant comes online, there will be an additional three-month testing period before implementation.
About 60 community members attended an event with city staff and council to learn more about the system in August. Several residents expressed concerns about the quality of the treated water. Liberty Hill Mayor Crystal Mancilla said the city is dedicated to being as transparent about health and safety procedures as possible.
“People came with concerns, and they left with a sense that the city is vetting the process and it will be safe,” she said. “I definitely didn’t start on the bandwagon at first. By vetting it myself, I feel it’s going to be a safe and reliable resource for the community.”
Perkins said the full-scale facility is expected to cost the city around $22 million. The city expects much of the costs to be offset by grants, and it will take out low-interest loans to supplement any remaining funding needs.
Project Milestones:
- December 2024-May 2025: Submitted for Texas Commission on Environment Quality review
- February 2025-October 2025: Pilot facility under designed
- November 2025-June 2026: Pilot facility under construction
- July 2026-April 2027: Pilot facility to undergo testing
- January 2027-December 2030: Advanced water purification facility to go out for design and bidding
Liberty Hill’s reuse facility is one of the first in Texas, but it’s not expected to be the last.
According to the Texas Water Development Board’s 2022 State Water Plan, reuse facilities are expected to grow by 15% statewide between 2020-70. The TWDB has recommended implementing water reuse plants in more than a dozen locations to alleviate water supply concerns in drought-prone regions.
Mancilla said the water reuse plant is just one piece of the city’s long-term water plan.
“[The water reuse plant is] not going to address all of our needs, but it’s going to address a lot of them," she said. "The city has been working on a strategic plan of not just one or two sources but having a very robust water portfolio. I wanted us to have ownership of our own destiny with water, and I believe we’re going to have some exciting things to bring to the community."
Claire Shoop and Steve Guntli contributed to this story.
