Brownwood city officials gave presentations at Tuesday’s city council meeting outlining the costs of constructing and operating a wastewater reuse plant and options for alternate water sources in the area. The proposed reuse facility would treat water after it has already been treated by the city’s existing wastewater treatment plant and re-circulate it back into Brownwood’s water system instead of releasing it.
City of Brownwood Finance Director Walter Middleton presented projected costs as well as the effect reuse of wastewater by the city will have on all current and potential Brown County Water Improvement District municipal customers, and the passed down cost of water to the consumers.
The impact on the annual water rate for Brownwood with the estimated construction and operation costs of the reuse plant to customers is a 12.5% increase, resulting in a $0.37/1000 gallon increase in rates from the current rate of $2.98/1000 gallons. The increase in average bills is projected as follows:
Average residential customer (7500 gallons per month or GPM) will see a $2.80 monthly increase or $33.60 annual increase.
Average commercial customer (37,400 GPM) will see a monthly increase of $14 or $168 per year.
Average industrial customer (561,000 GPM) will see a monthly increase of $208 or $2496 per year.
According to Middleton, his projections were made with the assistance of BCWID, city engineers, and Doug Hearne – engineer for the proposed reuse or supplemental water treatment plant (SWTP). He said that projections cannot be exact; however, he has used a conservative approach in figuring projections, which may be higher than the actual cost charged to customers after the SWTP is completed.
Approximately $8,560,000 will be borrowed from the Texas Water Development Board for the construction of the SWTP. Middleton explained that the plant will be able to treat approximately 1.5 million gallons of water per day or 272,000,000 gallons per year.
The reuse plant or SWTP will have the following annual costs:
Electricity $250,000
Replacements $380,000
Supplies $17,000
Debt Service $655,000
Total production of supplemental water will be 1.5 million gallons per day with a production cost of $2.37/1000 gallons. The estimated costs are high according to Middleton, who stated that they should be much less due to the purity of the water coming into the SWTP from the wastewater treatment plant and less need for replacement filters and equipment.
Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes gave options for alternate water sources, most of which are logistically challenging and cost prohibitive. Even the thought of conservation alone will increase cost to the consumer over the long-term, according to Haynes. With a lesser amount of water sold, revenue (which is needed to cover the city’s operational cost to purchase, treat and deliver water to end customers) is decreased, resulting in water eventually having to be sold at a higher cost. Conservation also is detrimental to the economy, because it will have an impact on future industrial development according to Haynes.
“Industry won’t come if there’s a possibility of a water shortage,” explained Haynes.
Mayor Haynes and City Manager Bobby Rountree explained to those present that this discussion was to educate the public of the possibilities the City of Brownwood and the Brown County Water Improvement District have researched and investigated regarding alternative water sources. Both encouraged the public to come forward with any suggestions for alternative sources of water that have not been considered, stating that the council strives to make an informed decision, Haynes said.
“I want the city, I want the county, I want everyone involved in this decision to know that we have explored our options and done our due diligence,” said Haynes. “The decision has not been made. Council has to make this decision, the members desire public input. We encourage people to ‘let your voice be known.’ The mayor and council don’t desire to make this decision in a vacuum.”
The Brownwood City Council is expected to vote in the next few weeks whether or not to move forward with the reuse project.
Pictured above, Mayor Haynes explains logistics and costs of options the city has considered.
