Liberty Hill City Council approves construction of water purification pilot facility

The city of Liberty Hill is moving forward with the construction of its Advanced Water Purification Facility, or AWPF, pilot after the City Council approved a construction contract at its Dec. 10 meeting.

The pilot facility will test water purification methods that will eventually be used at the future full-size facility.

The background

The AWPF is at the center of the city’s Pure Water LHTX program, which aims to provide long-term clean water for the city as it continues to grow. The facility will purify reclaimed wastewater to meet drinking water standards.

Community Impact previously reported that Liberty Hill’s water needs are projected to increase by 12% per year for the next 10 years and then by 16% per year through 2050. The full-size AWPF is expected to provide 4 million gallons of clean drinking water per day once completed.

The funding

The council awarded the contract to Archer Western Construction for $14.99 million.

The council also approved a $1.94 million contract that will continue the city’s professional services agreement with Garver LLC, an engineering, planning and environmental services firm. The city said in a news release that Garver will continue to provide “construction administration, pilot operations, water-quality sampling, regulatory coordination, and public outreach activities.”

The construction of the pilot facility will be funded through revenue bonds, meaning the bonds will be sold to bidders and then repaid using the money that the water purification facility brings in through billing. According to a timeline provided by Specialized Public Finance Inc., a financial advisory firm working with the city, the bonds will be sold in late January, and the city will receive the funds in mid-February.

Liberty Hill Finance Director Josh Armstrong said in a document submitted to the council that the city had planned to use funding from the Texas Water Development Board, but the board pushed that funding back until later in 2026, and city leaders decided to move forward with the bond to avoid delaying construction. The city is also applying for federal funding through the Environmental Protection Agency that could cover up to 80% of the total cost of building the AWPF.

What’s next

Construction of the pilot facility is set to be completed in October. The next step is to test different water purification methods, which Garver estimates will take about eight months.

The design of the full AWPF is set to be completed in fall 2028, and the final facility is scheduled to be completed in spring 2031.

However, some City Council members expressed concern that the official timeline might not be realistic.

"There are a million things that could throw this off schedule, and it's already slightly off schedule, and funding is one of those things," council member Wade Ashley said. "And now at the very beginning of the project, we are being held up due to funding."

The pilot facility is designed as a permanent structure. After the full AWPF is completed, the pilot facility will be used for public tours, training, and future testing.