Despite concerns from some city officials and local activists, a fourth water treatment plant will be built in Austin, ending a 25-year debate.
Water Treatment Plant 4, a more than $500 million project set to be built in Northwest Austin, will expand the water utility’s capacity to 335 million gallons. The project has been heavily surrounded by controversy regarding when and if the plant is actually needed.
Activists from organizations like Save Our Springs Alliance, the Zilker Neighborhood Association and the Sierra Club came out to voice their opposition, focusing mainly on the importance of conservation.
The Austin Board of Realtors, Real Estate Council of Austin, the Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters backed the plan for the new plant.
Tom Jackson, member of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Austin and a supporter of the plan, said bids for construction contracts are competitive in the current economy, so the city should act soon to start the project.
“In this market and at this time, we can take advantage of this down market and save hundreds of thousands of dollars on the construction of this plant,” Jackson said. “It is not a question of if we should build Water Treatment Plant 4, but when.”
Greg Meszaros, director of Austin Water Utility, said the plant would help meet the growing demand for water in Central Texas while diversifying the water supply and reducing greenhouse gases.
“We can all agree that conservation is needed,” he said.
Meszaros said conservation alone is not enough, and mixing conservation with new infrastructure is the most efficient and reliable solution.
Funding for the plant will come from increased water rates for utility customers. Meszaros said rates are expected to rise by 12 percent — about $2 to $3 per customer per month — and remain at this increased rate for an expected 30 years until the plant is paid off.
Council member Bill Spelman, who voted against the project, said the plant is not necessary.
“We’re asking too much from our rate payers in the middle of a recession,” he said.
Roy Whaley, vice chairperson of Austin Sierra Club, said the benefits of the plant do not outweigh the costs.
“We want water, but at what price?” Whaley asked. “If we don’t conserve the resource, it doesn’t matter how much we treat. Water Treatment Plant 4 does not manufacture water. It will not add a single drop of water. Conservation creates water.”
Kent Butler, research and operations director in the UT School of Architecture, said building the treatment facility only adds infrastructure and neglects other aspects of water conservation. He supports a design that integrates water supply and demands management and building of water infrastructure.
“It is not doing the best service for citizens,” he said. “We need to lead by conservation.”
Council members Laura Morrison, Chris Riley and Spelman opposed the plan. Council member Randi Shade, the swing vote, supported and helped pass the plan.
Water Treatment Plant 4 is not expected to be ready for use until 2014.
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