Water plant pilot study approved by TCEQ
State officials have approved the long-awaited pilot study that sets the clock ticking for restarting San Benito’s Water Treatment Plant No. 2.
The study was an integral part of the 2017 litigation settlement following the City’s 2014 lawsuit filed against Evoqua Water Technologies LLC, and other parties involved in the construction of the water plant.
The lawsuit settlement requires work completion within nine months of TCEQ’s approval of the pilot study and to provide a water treatment plant that is ready for operation and that will produce 6 million gallons of quality water per day.
City officials received notification by letter dated Jan. 17, 2020, that the completed study met the operational parameters established by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, signaling that work could now actually begin to implement the redesign and construction to place the plant back into service.
On Dec. 31, 2019, DuPont de Nemours, Inc. acquired from Evoqua, MEMCORE, the company’s ultrafiltration and membrane bioreactor technologies, and is continuing work on the water plant in San Benito.
Since the 2017 settlement, Evoqua’s engineers worked to complete the study to meet TCEQ criteria, and on Oct. 8, 2019 submitted the plan for approval. Three months later, TCEQ issued its notice of acceptance.
“We are looking forward to a successful completion of this project and the restart of Water Treatment Plant No. 2. It’s been a long, hard fight,” Gomez said, adding that finally the City will receive its modern water treatment facility that will serve the community with quality water, well into the City’s future.