The City of Missouri City, TX
Cooperation Is the Key to Success for Missouri City’s State-of-the-Art Regional Water T reatment Plant
Saluting an unprecedented level of cooperation among 40 government and private sector groups, City officials and guests recently toasted the inaugural opening of Missouri City’s new $50 million Regional Water Treatment Plant.
Partners of the project raised their glasses—filled with water processed at the facility—to mark a special milestone that has been reached for reducing groundwater usage and in honor of the successful teamwork that produced the largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by the “Show Me City”.
About 100 stakeholders, elected officials and residents sampled H₂O from the treatment plant. The “pure water” was also savored in many flavors such as lemon-lime, strawberry, orange and pomegranate. And, guests enjoyed tasty delicacies while they viewed a slideshow highlighting the timeline for the five-year completion of the plant and took guided tours through the state-of-the-art facility.
The plant is currently producing 2 million gallons of water per day and will increase output as the population grows, expanding in two phases to produce 21 million gallons in 2017 and 33 million gallons in 2027. The operation’s excellence has already been recognized statewide as the plant recently won the Texas Public Works Association’s Project of the Year Award for “Environmental Projects at least $25 million but less than $75 million”.
Photos courtesy of Missouri City
City officials and other involved members of the Regional Water Treatment Plant toast to their accomplishment of uniting to complete a difficult state mandate. A total of 40 entities work together to bring this project to fruition.
Mayor Allen Owen pointed out the importance of the plant in assuring future water needs for the growing community to guests. “I think we’ve all come to realize how precious water is. We’ve known it is key to development but it’s also important to grow your City and for the future of our citizens for many years to come,” he said. “Not only the citizens, but their kids and grandkids.”
Scott Hibbs, President of Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd of Abilene, Texas, the lead engineering firm for the project, said the “state-of-the-art facility will ensure citizens have an abundance of safe drinking water for years to come.”
And, along with quantity being a major function of the nearly 40-acre project, is quality. Plant engineers say the quality of the refined water should exceed that of the groundwater residents currently drink with 33 types of tests conducted each day to ensure the water is safe to use.
The premier facility was built to meet regulations set by the Fort Bend Subsidence District, which mandates that the groundwater withdrawals must be no more than 70 percent of total water demand by Jan. 1, 2014. By January of 2025, withdrawals must be reduced to no more than 40 percent of water demand.
Carl Bowles, a member of the Groundwater Reduction Plan Oversight Committee and President of Sienna Master Municipal Utility District #1 applauded the level of unity that resulted in the project’s successful completion and the City’s foresight in planning for the future. “The fact that the districts got together and worked for what is best for everyone should be recognized,” he said. “The attitude was let’s work together to come up with the best possible solution to the surface water conversion requirement. This day is the product of a lot of hard work on the part of all involved.”
Assistant City Manager Scott Elmer concurs. “This significant citizen project involved an incredible amount of cooperation,” he said.
In left photo, Scott Hibbs gives a tour of the plant. Mayor of Arcola Evelyn Jones, center, and her daughter Effie Jones look out toward the Brazos River as Hibbs explains how Missouri City will utilize the river water and make it safe for residents to drink and use. In right photo, from left: Councilman Robin Elackatt, City Manager Edward Broussard; Councilman Danny Nguyen, Assistant Director of Public Works Sharon Valiante, Councilman Bobby Marshall, Councilman Floyd Emery, Assistant City Manager Scott Elmer.
The plant is currently servicing Sienna Plantation North, a subdivision outside city limits. It will be paid for by user fees which are currently the lowest in the area at $1.40 per thousand gallons pumped.
The plant, which has the capacity to store 100 million gallons of water, will process the liquid by:
*Taking the surface water from the Brazos River
*Removing the dirt with high-tech membrane filters
* Treating and disinfecting the water
*Sending the treated surface water to the various utility districts
The facility began delivering water to customers on February 16. For updates, watch the City website, www.missouricitytx.gov, and Missouri City Television (Ch. 16 on Comcast and Ch. 99 on AT&T U-verse).
Cooperation Is the Key to Success for Missouri City’s State-of-the-Art Regional Water T reatment Plant
Saluting an unprecedented level of cooperation among 40 government and private sector groups, City officials and guests recently toasted the inaugural opening of Missouri City’s new $50 million Regional Water Treatment Plant.
Partners of the project raised their glasses—filled with water processed at the facility—to mark a special milestone that has been reached for reducing groundwater usage and in honor of the successful teamwork that produced the largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by the “Show Me City”.
About 100 stakeholders, elected officials and residents sampled H₂O from the treatment plant. The “pure water” was also savored in many flavors such as lemon-lime, strawberry, orange and pomegranate. And, guests enjoyed tasty delicacies while they viewed a slideshow highlighting the timeline for the five-year completion of the plant and took guided tours through the state-of-the-art facility.
The plant is currently producing 2 million gallons of water per day and will increase output as the population grows, expanding in two phases to produce 21 million gallons in 2017 and 33 million gallons in 2027. The operation’s excellence has already been recognized statewide as the plant recently won the Texas Public Works Association’s Project of the Year Award for “Environmental Projects at least $25 million but less than $75 million”.
Photos courtesy of Missouri City
City officials and other involved members of the Regional Water Treatment Plant toast to their accomplishment of uniting to complete a difficult state mandate. A total of 40 entities work together to bring this project to fruition.
Mayor Allen Owen pointed out the importance of the plant in assuring future water needs for the growing community to guests. “I think we’ve all come to realize how precious water is. We’ve known it is key to development but it’s also important to grow your City and for the future of our citizens for many years to come,” he said. “Not only the citizens, but their kids and grandkids.”
Scott Hibbs, President of Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd of Abilene, Texas, the lead engineering firm for the project, said the “state-of-the-art facility will ensure citizens have an abundance of safe drinking water for years to come.”
And, along with quantity being a major function of the nearly 40-acre project, is quality. Plant engineers say the quality of the refined water should exceed that of the groundwater residents currently drink with 33 types of tests conducted each day to ensure the water is safe to use.
The premier facility was built to meet regulations set by the Fort Bend Subsidence District, which mandates that the groundwater withdrawals must be no more than 70 percent of total water demand by Jan. 1, 2014. By January of 2025, withdrawals must be reduced to no more than 40 percent of water demand.
Carl Bowles, a member of the Groundwater Reduction Plan Oversight Committee and President of Sienna Master Municipal Utility District #1 applauded the level of unity that resulted in the project’s successful completion and the City’s foresight in planning for the future. “The fact that the districts got together and worked for what is best for everyone should be recognized,” he said. “The attitude was let’s work together to come up with the best possible solution to the surface water conversion requirement. This day is the product of a lot of hard work on the part of all involved.”
Assistant City Manager Scott Elmer concurs. “This significant citizen project involved an incredible amount of cooperation,” he said.
In left photo, Scott Hibbs gives a tour of the plant. Mayor of Arcola Evelyn Jones, center, and her daughter Effie Jones look out toward the Brazos River as Hibbs explains how Missouri City will utilize the river water and make it safe for residents to drink and use. In right photo, from left: Councilman Robin Elackatt, City Manager Edward Broussard; Councilman Danny Nguyen, Assistant Director of Public Works Sharon Valiante, Councilman Bobby Marshall, Councilman Floyd Emery, Assistant City Manager Scott Elmer.
The plant is currently servicing Sienna Plantation North, a subdivision outside city limits. It will be paid for by user fees which are currently the lowest in the area at $1.40 per thousand gallons pumped.
The plant, which has the capacity to store 100 million gallons of water, will process the liquid by:
*Taking the surface water from the Brazos River
*Removing the dirt with high-tech membrane filters
* Treating and disinfecting the water
*Sending the treated surface water to the various utility districts
The facility began delivering water to customers on February 16. For updates, watch the City website, www.missouricitytx.gov, and Missouri City Television (Ch. 16 on Comcast and Ch. 99 on AT&T U-verse).