by KIM HILSENBECK
Irrigation in Central Texas is a hot – and dry – topic of discussion. With the region in a population explosion over the last decade coupled with a near perpetual drought since 2011, keeping landscapes watered has become an expensive endeavor. Not to mention one that further depletes already stressed water sources.
Some local water providers are looking at other options to provide water for irrigation.
Under rules by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), wastewater treatment plants, such as those in Buda and Kyle, can sell reclaimed, or effluent, water. This is the final product from water treatment plants.
Effluent water can only be used for two purposes according to TCEQ; construction-related work such as dust control and certain types of irrigation. Those irrigation types are defined by TCEQ based on whether people are likely to have contact with the water during or after application.
Water treatment plants are permitted with classifications for either Type I or Type II effluent water. These classifications relate to the purity of the water at the end of the treatment phases. See side bar for more information.
Under rules for using effluent water, Kyle and Buda’s water departments can sell reclaimed water at about half the price of commercial potable water.
For commercial entities, using reclaimed water can mean substantial cost savings over potable water from the main public water stream. Any company that wants to begin using effluent water must clear the state’s application and permitting process.
Using this reclaimed water also helps conserve high quality water supplies, according to Buda City Manager Kenneth Williams. Buda is authorized to use and sell Type I and Type II reclaimed water from its wastewater treatment facility according to a statement from city officials.
Kyle’s wastewater treatment plant, currently operated by Aqua Texas, produces Type II reclaimed water, according to Jason Biemer, utility coordinator for Kyle. Its main consumer of reclaimed water is the Plum Creek Golf Club, which currently uses that water for irrigation of its links. Biemer estimated between 65-75 million gallons of water annually is needed to properly irrigate the Plum Creek Golf Course.
“Using drinking water to irrigate crops, or in this case, water a golf course, can be expensive,” Biemer said. “Using reclaimed water can lower costs considerably.”
He also explained that reclaimed water sources are helpful during drought peaks, as supplies for potable water are used less frequently.
“Effluent water is a better way to irrigate than using drinking water,” Biemer said.
Under an agreement with the city of Kyle, the management firm running the course does not pay for the use of that reclaimed water. However, Plum Creek owns and manages the pipe and pump system that allow the effluent water to reach the course. Employees from Plum Creek did not respond to requests from the Hays Free Press prior to press time.
TCEQ rules state that water produced from a water treatment plant is available at a certain point along the route before it is discharged. In the case of the Kyle facility, the effluent water is discharged into Plum Creek if not piped to the golf course.
Buda’s effluent water system is on the east end of Main Street, near the Interstate 35 section of the road. The signature “purple pipe” as it’s called in the industry – because it’s purple – runs along the newly renovated portion of Main Street near H-E-B in Buda. The city uses effluent water to irrigate the median in that stretch of road. Contractors can also purchase reclaimed water from Buda’s treatment facility for use in construction-related activities.
According to Brian LaBorde, Buda’s assistant city manager, utility and water companies must have public notices posted in areas where they use effluent water. He also said the city has plans this fiscal year to pipe effluent water to Historic Stagecoach Park and City Park.
The process for water treatment in Kyle and Buda is what’s called “activated sludge.” As Biemer explained, the name derives from the type bacteria used to break down solids, called Aerobic Bacteria, which need air to thrive. Air is pumped into the system, keeping the bacteria alive, so as to “metabolize things,” and break down solids. After a dozen or so steps, the water progressively becomes more pure.
While Kyle does not offer reclaimed water city-wide, Biemer said the protracted drought in Central Texas makes the prospect intriguing for the city. He said more thorough outreach education is necessary prior to rolling out a system-wide program. The Plum Creek Golf Course in Kyle uses Type II water. However, Biemer pointed out that more often than not, the golf course is usually watered during the off hours.
Plum Creek Watershed Coordinator Nick Dornak said effluent water is tested weekly. He said they look for elements such as biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, ammonia and phosphorous.
Irrigation from effluent water is not allowed to run off back into water sources such as the Plum Creek Watershed– that is called “illicit discharge.” The water must be absorbed into the ground.
For that reason, Dornak said entities using reclaimed water should not run their irrigation system when it’s raining.
Dornak said illicit discharge should be self-reported by the entity using the reclaimed water, though citizens can file reports with TCEQ.
Buda does not currently have any commercial entities using effluent water, though Assistant City Manager Brian LaBorde said the city would be happy to speak with companies interested in exploring the option.
The transformation from sludge to useable water
is initiated by having the sewage water go through Kyle’s “Activated Sludge” process. The name derives from the type bacteria used to break down solids, called Aerobic Bacteria, which need air to thrive. Air is pumped into the system, keeping the bacteria alive, so as to “metabolize things,” and break down solids, said Biemer. After a dozen or so steps in the Activated Sludge process, the water progressively becomes more pure, where eventually, the water exits into Plum Creek. From there, city then pumps the water through a network of pipeline, where the water makes it way to its final destination at the golf course, where it is utilized when appropriate.
Type I effluent can be used for the irrigation of residential, commercial, public parks, school yards, or athletic fields and maintenance of impoundments or natural water bodies. Type I reclaimed water can also be used for fire protection, food-crop irrigation and application to pastures grazed by milking animals.
Type II reclaimed water can be used to irrigate golf courses, cemeteries, and landscaped areas surrounding commercial or industrial complexes, land restricted from public access, soil compaction and dust control, and cooling tower makeup water. It can also be used for irrigation water that is not likely to contact edible portions of a crop, animal feed-crop irrigation for non-milking animals, and to supply nonrecreational water bodies. TCEQ may, at its discretion, also approve an entity’s use of Type II reclaimed water for hydraulic fracturing.
