In a presentation at the Leander City Council’s Dec. 18 meeting, Ellison said that construction is wrapping up. She said that training and testing of the upgraded facilities will be conducted in January, and the project will be finalized in February.
The details
Ellison said the improvements included expanding the plant’s sludge lagoons and upgrading its sludge management system.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, wastewater sludge processing involves removing as much water as possible from the solid waste in sewage and treating the wastewater to remove pathogens.
Ellison said the other key element of the water treatment plant upgrades was the construction of an additional water treatment unit.
The new treatment unit is the plant’s seventh. Ellison said it will serve as a backup unit and will allow the plant to continue operating at full capacity when one of the units needs to undergo maintenance.
The background
Ellison said the planning for the upgrades began in 2021. The $22 million contract was awarded in October 2023, and construction began in February 2024.
Why it matters
Ellison said the upgrades will increase the plant’s treatment capacity from 9 million-10 million gallons per day to 12 million gallons per day.
“This is a big one,” Ellison said. “It’s been a lot of years in the making.”
