The Clear Creek Water Reclamation Plant will enter the design phase this year following Denton City Council's approval of a $45.53 million contract for the plant’s design at a June 16 meeting. City officials' estimates put the project's total cost at about $455 million for design and construction.
The overview
The plant will be built north of Loop 288 and south of Lake Ray Roberts, where city officials expect significant future development. Currently, the wastewater collected in that area is pumped to the Pecan Creek Water Reclamation Plant on Mayhill Road in southeast Denton.
Building the Clear Creek plant will free up capacity at the Pecan Creek plant, said Kyle Pedigo, Denton's water utilities planning and engineering manager.
“By constructing a plant and treating wastewater within the basin, we can alleviate strain on our conveyance infrastructure as well as open up capacity at the Pecan Creek plant,” Pedigo said.
City documents state the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued a permit in 2025 for the Clear Creek plant to process 10 million gallons of water per day.
Zooming in
The new treatment plant will include:
- A grit removal system
- Biological nutrient removal
- Odor control systems
- Ultraviolet disinfection
- Membrane bioreactor treatment
The plant’s location is near the Denton Mountain Bike Trails. City documents state that staff will work to minimize impact on the trails through outreach and specialized trail design.
Some background
The city purchased the land to build the treatment plant in 2000. By 2003, the plant’s design was 85% complete when a change in development trends caused the city to pause the project, council documents state.
The plant will serve the northern area of the city and county, according to the 2023 Wastewater Master Plan.
In March, the Pecan Creek plant in southeast Denton received $90 million in funding to increase its capacity from 21 million gallons per day to 30 million gallons per day, according to previous reporting.
Looking ahead
The plant’s design is scheduled to be completed in December 2028. City documents state construction on the plant will start in December 2028 and wrap up in December 2032.
