PLANT EXPANSION
The major component of the expansion is a new treatment facility; constructed on land owned by the City of Houston next to the current plant. It is designed to supply 320 million gallons per day of treated water capacity in addition to the current 80 million gallons per day of treated water capacity.
The 400 million gallons per day plant will occupy approximately 150 acres of the city’s 252 acre site. Several buildings will be constructed on the site in addition to the administration/maintenance building, ground storage tanks, pump stations and the water education center. Below is an aerial view of the actual plant site under construction.
Improved Techniques
The expansion will include conventional treatment processes like the existing plant that help coagulate, settle, filter, and then disinfect the water to a quality that exceeds requirements set forth by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. In addition, an advanced oxidation process called ozonation will be constructed. Ozonation is a very powerful process for disinfecting water to help ensure that harmful organisms such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium are eliminated. Ozonation also helps eliminate taste and odor causing compounds, which improves the aesthetic quality of the water supplied by the plant.