Citizens Express Concern Over Cost, Safety of Wastewater Reclamation Project

San Angelo has a problem with scarcity of water. At one point during the drought in 2014, we hit having just 12 months of water left. Thankfully, our water situation has improved as the drought went away and more rainfall happened. We currently have about 29 months of water available, a level that is five months of water supply above Drought Level 1.

Growth and economic vitality of San Angelo demands a sustainable water supply to support the population. So, on Feb. 8, at Nacho’s restaurant off of the 306 Loop, San Angelo Councilwoman Elizabeth Grindstaff (SMD5) held a community meeting about the newly introduced idea of building a wastewater reclamation project. Many concerned citizens came out and asked their questions so that they could stay informed about the project.

“We have been very successful in implementing water conservation methods and behaving like a community that has a limited water supply.” Grindstaff said to start off the meeting. “But in doing that, we have had some trouble on the financial side of things, because we do not have as much money (because we’re selling less water). And we need money to do the repairs, but this is why the big (water) capital plan is important to us.”

The three major concerns that were discussed during the meeting pertained to cost, water loss, and health of wastewater reclamation.

As of now, $1.5 million has been allocated to the study for the wastewater project by the City of San Angelo City Council, but now city staff is looking at the idea of forging ahead with building a wastewater reclamation plant, which will cost a total of $136 million. A citizen in the audience said this capital investment averages to over $4,000 per water city customer. City staff clarified this morning that the capital project will be financed with a debt service life of 25 years. The city proposes to raise the money through debt obligations based upon the balance sheet of the water department’s operations. Part of every user's water bill rate goes into a capital fund because, out here in dry San Angelo, a large water project like this was anticipated.

Bill Riley, the water director for the city of San Angelo, explained the process that the wastewater reclamation project will undergo last night. He said the water from the waste stream (or sewer water) will be diverted through a process that treats the water to a “good” level; it will then push through a more sophisticated filtration to make it potable. The next process is called advanced filtration, or “ultra filtration.”

During that process, the water will go through reverse osmosis (removing smaller and smaller particles), thus turning it into pure water. An ultraviolet and oxidation process is used for anything that is left. Then, the use of chlorine (like we use now) is mixed into the water for the final purification process. Through each step, there are monitors who will watch the water. If problems arise, the plant shuts down.

Through the process of wastewater reclamation, it is preferred not to use only recycled water. Instead, the concept requires water coming in from several different sources, such as an aquifer, due to the loss of water through the filtration process.

A question was addressed at the meeting concerning the pharmaceutical drugs that go into our waste. A citizen was concerned that complex chemical compounds from pharmaceutical products cannot ever be completely eradicated by a manmade filtration process.

Riley stated, “Virtually nothing is left in the water, and, through the process of reverse osmosis, everything is purified.”

Throughout the meeting, it was constantly clarified that this is the safest, cleanest way to sustain a constant water supply. Riley said that wastewater reclamation is a sustainable water resource that many cities are converting to it.

Grindstaff stated that approving the wastewater reclamation project will not be on a ballot referendum. The only way resident will get their say is to vote for city council.

“We are not required by law to take a project like this to referendum,” Grindstaff added.

On average, San Angelo’s sewer plant sees 8 to 9.5 million gallons of water per day (MGD) flow through.

After the meeting, Grindstaff provided her position.

“I want more information, as in scientific data, on safety and dependable volume before Council is asked to make a decision. I was also expecting to see results of the Red Arroyo (storm water capture) study to compare costs and volume before diving into a project of this size and cost,” she said.