X
GO






Water and Wastewater Treatment






 Back to Environmental

Water and Wastewater Treatment

Two of the most critical aspects of our daily lives happen to be topics we spend the least amount of time thinking about: the water that flows from our faucets and what becomes of the contents of our toilets after they’re flushed. After all, humans can’t exist without clean drinking water, and who wants to use an outhouse? Yet, just 100 years ago, only about 1 percent of U.S. homes had indoor plumbing or treated city water.

Water quality is one of the highest priorities of the Brazos River Authority. As part of its stewardship of clean water, the BRA operates and maintains a number of wastewater treatment plants throughout the Brazos River basin. Plants operated for the cities of Temple/Belton, Hutto, Sugar Land, and Clute/Richwood treat millions of gallons of wastewater through various biological, chemical, and physical means to both state and federal standards before returning the cleaned water to our waterways. In addition to meeting the state’s wastewater permitting requirements, some plants also monitor stormwater runoff to make sure it doesn’t contain pollutants.

The BRA also owns and operates a regional surface water treatment plant in Williamson County, providing potable drinking water to the City of Taylor, Jonah Water Special Utility District, and the Lone Star Regional Water Authority. The East Williamson County Regional Water System draws water from Lake Granger.

The BRA also contracts with the City of Leander to operate and maintain the City’s Sandy Creek Water Treatment Plant, which treats water from Lake Travis. These plants treat water pumped from the lakes through various physical and chemical processes, including filtration and disinfection, to provide safe, high-quality drinking water.

The BRA strives to maintain a high-quality product through:

  • Skilled operations and maintenance staff
  • Thorough knowledge of treatment processes and requirements
  • Sample collection and testing
  • Planning for future expansion
  • Staying up-to-date with current regulations
  • Ongoing training, and
  • Recommending facility improvements to owner-cities.

The result is clean, safe water.

Over the years, the BRA's plants have received numerous awards from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recognizing the excellence of their operations, maintenance, and design.