Conroe, Texas, has been one of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. over the last 10 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. To keep pace, the city is building the $60-million Central Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) with an initial capacity of 6 million gallons per day, expandable to 12 MGD. However, this effort encountered numerous obstacles, including a late-term design site change that triggered a series of budgetary and logistical hurdles.
The initial phase of this venture, which is the largest single public-works project in the city’s history, will provide additional treatment plant capacity to satisfy current demands while the expansion will address future needs, explains William Schlafer, senior project manager with project designer Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN).