Pflugerville City Council approved a $1.9 million professional services agreement Dec. 10 with Ardurra Group Inc. for work related to the Pflugerville Water Treatment Plant expansion project. The project is designed to expand the treatment plant's capacity, uphold "regulatory compliance and safety" protocols, and upgrade aging infrastructure, according to city documents.

Specific enhancements incorporated into the expansion project are as follows:

• Expanded lake pump station
• New storage facility for chemicals
• Expanded membrane filtration system
• New baffles in ground storage area; water baffles help control sediment in water and water flow
• Expand high service pump station

During council's Dec. 10 meeting, City Engineer Patricia Davis said the agenda item was a follow-up to council's Oct. 27 meeting, where Ardurra was selected for the professional services work. The Dec. 10 meeting provided additional information on the scope of work and costs related to the agreement, Davis said.

Ardurra's scope of work covers 30% of design plans affiliated with the project and runs through June 2021, Davis said. Project construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2023, Davis said. The total bill of the project is estimated at $67 million.

"You can't put a bill on clean water," Council Member David Rogers said. "If you don't have clean water, you don't have much of a city."