Talking water conservation during a workshop before the Temple City Council meeting Thursday, Public Works Director Bruce A. Butscher said that by fixing water flow problems, and possibly expanding the plant, there would be less likelihood of triggering conservation in times of drought or other water-related shortages.
Butscher said repairs to the membrane plant would increase the city’s overall water treatment capabilities to about 40 million gallons per day (mgd) compared to the current 34.3 mgd summer capacity.
The $22.7-million plant located on the Leon River between Temple and Belton was supposed to operate with a capacity of 11.6 million gallons per day, but in October of last year the city found the plant was only showing a capacity of 4 to 8 mpg.
The problem, Butscher said, is possibly because of a dramatic change in water quality.
“We did a six-month study (prior to planning and construction of the plant) and for some reason we got really, really, really good water coming down the river,” he said. “But the water quality has changed markedly. Iron has gone up. Manganese has gone up. Silt and particulate matter has gone way, way up.
“All of this causes us to not be able to process the water at the 11 million gallon a day rate.”
Butscher said the study to determine the problem is being done by the engineering firm of Kasberg, Patrick and Associates of Temple for $108,540.
City Manager David Blackburn said he hopes to recommend ways to get the plant operating up to full capacity by the council’s first meeting in May.
“When we say increase membrane plant capacity, what we are trying to do is return the plant closer to its original design capacity,” he said.
He said that increasing the water capacity is important with increasing demands over the past few years.
“Barring last year’s wet summer and spring, the city experienced about a 13 percent increase in peak demand and about 8 percent growth in peak demand on the previous year,” he said. “My concern is that those demand numbers will continue to climb if we do have a typical hot, dry summer.”
He said the capacity and pumping ability of the system as-is will supply the city well during the summer.
“But we must get its design capacity closer to where it needs to be,” he said.
Butscher said a design change could involve adapting the plant for the change in the water.
“My initial thinking is that we are going to put a ‘front end’ on the plant, which will let us produce that 11.6 million gallons per day. We are also going to make sure we build that front end … thinking about possible plant expansion.”
Blackburn said that with increased water flow, the city can update the conservation plan, which dictates conservation measures when water gets scarce because of drought or accidents.
The plan contains five stages, which address daily demand and refilling capacity of the city’s tanks.
Conservation measures range from discontinuing water use for non-essential use and not flushing water mains, to instituting water rationing and ceasing all irrigation and car washing.
Increased water flow would increase the numbers that would trigger conservation measures, Blackburn said. He added that he has instructed the public works department to finish the project by next summer.
The conventional treatment plant, located near the membrane plant in the vicinity of Charter Oak Loop, was built in 1909 and has gone though multiple upgrades, according to the city. The membrane plant was built to supplement water intake.
