The West University Place City Council was presented with updates regarding the ongoing improvements being made to the city’s wastewater treatment plant at the July 27 City Council meeting.
The overview
With Phase 1 of the extensive construction work currently underway, Public Works Director Michael Leech and representatives from Garver—the engineering firm tasked with reviewing and advising the project’s design–gave planning recommendations related to the project’s future phases.
Having performed an independent study on the site’s progress, Garver representatives Wade Parks, Jason Kirby and Dylan Christenson voiced concerns to West U officials regarding multiple areas of the wastewater facility that will require rehabilitation long-term, given that they are not within the scope of the project’s first phase.
Some context
West U’s wastewater treatment plant project, which broke ground on the first phase of construction in April 2025, centers around the revitalization of the city’s more than 40-year-old processing facility.
The improvements currently underway will strengthen flood resiliency in the area and ensure that when storm-related events occur, the sewer plant and all accompanying critical equipment remain operational, according to city documents.
Breaking it down
Community Impact previously reported on what enhancements are expected from the West U wastewater treatment plant once Phase 1 of construction is complete, back when the project’s funding was authorized by City Council in March 2025.
According to project details posted online by the Public Works Department, Phase 1 improvements to the wastewater facility include:
- Elevating a new control building
- Raising the height of the emergency power generator
- Upgrading the motor control center
- Elevating and replacing the lift-station with a newer version fitted with submersible pumps
- Upgrading mounting of main electricity lines to concrete pad-mounted transformers
During the July 27 meeting, Kirby said that one of the main factors driving the replacement of the facility’s original-era components was the results shown by Hurricane Harvey. The storm exposed on-site “vulnerabilities” with flooding when it touched ground in 2017.
“To be clear, the work under construction right now ... the building, the lift station modifications, are significant flood resiliency and reliability wins,” Kirby told the council.
Latest update
In the meeting presentation, Kirby said that no evidence from Garver’s independent study suggested any urgent reason to change the wastewater facility’s current treatment process. He added that the plant is meeting permit requirements with no anticipated changes underway for its renewed permit.
Garver’s study did, however, identify several other aged areas of the plant that will still require upgrades after Phase 1 of the current construction is complete, Kirby confirmed.
The Garver team leader explained to West U officials that many of these areas were part of the initial construction package that was bid in July 2024, but had to be deferred in order for the project to fall within the planned budget for improvements.
These changes resulted in delays during the bidding process in September of that year, temporarily pausing the project altogether, Community Impact previously reported.
The specifics
Garver representatives recommended that the following existing process equipment be addressed in future phases of the wastewater facility’s construction to prioritize safety and rehabilitation:
- Upgrading deteriorated air diffusers
- Implementing coarse bubble diffusers
- Replacing corroded bridges, grating and walkways
- Repairing flow control gates and isolation valves
- Replacing blower equipment
A secondary project prioritization sequence was also recommended by Garver experts for engineers to complete any remaining improvements to the plant as they become available. This segment includes:
- The plant’s conversion to liquid sodium hypochlorite
- Headworks improvements
- Clarifier rehabilitations
Final takeaways
Kirby noted to council members that in future phase planning, complete rehabilitation could be performed in either separate phases or in a single project.
As of July 27, Leech said the next steps for the Public Works Department are to draft a proposal related to future improvement plans at the wastewater facility and return to City Council with it at a later date.
The estimated completion date for the first phase of West U’s wastewater treatment plant project is April 2027.
