Bellaire officials are faced with increased costs to the wastewater treatment plant, a project that would either rehabilitate the current plant, rebuild a new one or decommission the plant and connect to Houston’s wastewater system, according to an April 21 City Council meeting.

How we got here

Bellaire residents voted in November to approve two separate bond referendums totaling $70 million to fund stormwater and wastewater projects.

One of the wastewater projects, for $30 million, includes demolishing Bellaire's current wastewater treatment plant and connecting it to Houston's. However, residents questioned why the city couldn’t fix or replace the current plant and other options were provided.

About the project


Chris Malinowski, a project manager at HDR, an engineering firm that conducted the cost estimate work order, said the new prices for the project options are projected to be:
  • $131.7 million: build a new wastewater treatment plant on a new site
  • $107 million: rehabilitate or replace wastewater treatment plant on existing site
  • $11.48 million: decommission wastewater treatment plant and connect to Houston’s plant
These new cost estimates differ from what was initially proposed to City Council during an August presentation:
  • Originally $100 million: building a new plant
  • Originally $71.5 million: rehabilitating the current plant
  • Originally $29.5 million: decommissioning the plant and connecting to Houston
Malinowski said the city is also required to install a lift station, which is used to move wastewater from lower to higher elevations, regardless of what option the city chooses. Installing a lift station would add $2.1 million to the overall project cost, he said.

Breaking down the cost

Malinowski said several factors led to a higher cost estimate than what was initially proposed; these factors include:
  • Temporary package plant: The city would need to purchase a temporary package plant so that the plant remains in service if they decide to rehabilitate or rebuild.
  • Odor control: The city will need to install an odor control system based on the site plan analysis done for the project and to comply with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
  • Rising equipment costs
City Engineer Beth Jones told Community Impact that tariffs did not play a role in increased costs. However, if the city decides to rehabilitate or rebuild, there will most likely be impacts to the construction costs, she said.

She also said the price to decommission the plant is different compared to August’s cost estimate because the earlier projection assumed that Bellaire would have to pay cash for the full impact fees to connect to Houston, while the current projection assumes a credit towards impact fees with a land swap deal.


What else?

Jones said it would take 3.5 years of designing and construction to either rehabilitate or build a new treatment plant, while decommissioning and connecting to Houston would take 2.5 years.

She also said treating wastewater in Bellaire is more expensive than if they were to connect to Houston. The cost to treat wastewater in Bellaire is $2.44 per 1,000 gallons, while treating wastewater in Houston costs $1.90 per 1,000 gallons.

However, if the city chooses to either rehabilitate or rebuild the plant, it would increase the cost to treat wastewater by:
  • $14.52 per 1,000 gallons: rehabilitating the current plant
  • $16.78 per 1,000 gallons: rebuilding a new plant
“At the end of the day, when I said the status quo is not an option, it is not an option,” Jones said. “Our costs cannot stay the same anymore. If we go down the path of doing a new treatment plant, we will be issuing debt in the $100 to $130 million range very quickly.”


What they’re saying

Some Bellaire residents spoke during the April meeting, urging City Council not to connect with Houston’s wastewater treatment plant.

Bellaire resident Mary Kaspar said the city needs to keep infrastructure under their control.

“Look at how Houston is handling their water system,” she said. “I think it’s a big mistake to completely abandon our control and forever depend on Houston and whatever they choose to charge.”


Bellaire resident Kevin Sisk voiced his support for connecting the city’s wastewater to Houston and said he represents a “silent majority of residents” that support investing in the city’s quality of life, even if it means increasing taxes.

“The wastewater treatment facility takes away from the quality of life,” Sisk said. “It’s an eyesore, has the occasional smells associated with it, and perhaps most importantly, it brings down property values.”

Council member Catherine Lewis said the city should be shocked at the price increase.

“This decision, if we connect with the city of Houston, will be very unpopular,” Lewis said. “I got responses from about 55 residents ... opposed to connecting to Houston.”


However, council member Cindy Taylor disagreed with Lewis that this decision would be unpopular, and believes that it’s one small group of people who find the decision to move wastewater to Houston to be unpopular.

“It might be unpopular with one group of people, but it’s one small group of people,” Taylor said. “There are a lot of people who don’t come to this meeting who are dying for us to go to the city of Houston.”