Round Rock City Council approved a change order that brings the Brushy Creek Regional Wastewater System plant expansion up to date at a June 26 meeting. The project began in 2020 and is about a year-and-a-half delayed, according to Director of Public Works Michael Thane.

About the project

The BCRWWS plant expansion will bring the plant’s treatment capacity to 30 million gallons per day. The project is a regional collaboration between Round Rock, Austin, Cedar Park and Leander.

"The project has run late, and we're working through that now," Thane said.

In a nutshell

The original contract with Thalle Construction amounted to $107 million, with Round Rock responsible for 12% of the regional expansion. According to Thane, the company had “lots of challenges,” including staffing and project management, which contributed to delays.

The fifth change order has been in the works for about a year due to cost negotiations. The contract adds $1.3 million to the construction work, and Round Rock will be responsible for $157,334.

The change order includes adding canopies over electrical infrastructure, as well as adjusting sequencing.

"This plant is in operation and we have staff out there, so when you have a construction project coming in there and you have to work around it ... that incurs some additional costs for the contractor," Thane said.

Looking ahead

Following City Council approval, Thane said the plant expansion will have a tentative completion date of this fall.

"We are nearing completion," Thane said. "I looked at the schedule earlier today—we are really knocking some things out now."