City officials are seeking outside funding for a 10 million gallon per day increase in capacity at a regional wastewater treatment plant located in Round Rock.
In a nutshell
The city of Round Rock could receive a $60 million low-interest loan to fund an ongoing expansion to the city's wastewater treatment plant near East Palm Valley Boulevard.
The loan would come from the Texas Water Development Board's Clean Water State Revolving Fund, and would finance part of the city's expansion to from 30 million gallons per day to 40 million gallons per day of wastewater treatment capacity at this facility, Public Works Director Michael Thane said in a May 26 Round Rock City Council packet briefing.
Council will also consider an item to adjust its existing agreement with Plummer Associates Inc. to manage paperwork and the loan process, as well as pursuing a second round of funding through the water development board's 2027 CWSR program. Plummer is the firm engaged by the city to rehabilitate the facility. The change in costs associated with the additional work is $124,980, and will come from the city's budget for regional wastewater projects.
Both items will be considered in a May 28 council meeting.
The details
Total costs to expand the wastewater treatment plant are around $117.6 million, Thane said, and the city is seeking the loan due to these high costs. While the expansion is a partnership between the cities of Austin and Round Rock, the latter will claim 90% of the expanded capacity and must pay a proportional amount of the expense.
The big picture
Round Rock oversees operations and maintenance of the regional wastewater system, which also serves Cedar Park, Leander and Austin. The system consists of two wastewater treatment plants and about 45 miles of regional collection lines.
What's next?
Council will consider the measure at its May 28 meeting, to be held at 6 p.m. at Round Rock City Hall, 221 E. Main St., Round Rock. More information about meeting norms, council functions and instructions for signing up to speak at the meeting is available at www.roundrocktexas.gov/city-about-round-rock/city-council.
