Public Works’ Water Reclamation and Reuse Project received the Bob Derrington Water Reclamation Award from the Texas Section American Water Works Association. The award was presented at the Texas Water Conference on April 8 in Fort Worth.

The City of Round Rock has been irrigating with “reuse” water – treated wastewater – since 1998, when a pipeline from the Brushy Creek Regional Wastewater Facility (located on U.S. 79 across from the Dell Diamond) to Forest Creek Golf Club was completed. That system is capable of delivering 600,000 gallons of reuse water a day to irrigate the City owned golf course.

The City is in the process of significantly expanding its water reuse system. The first phase will have the capacity to deliver 6 million gallons a day (MGD) of reuse water to Old Settlers Park for irrigation of numerous amenities in the park, including soccer, softball and baseball fields. It will also provide reuse water to Dell Diamond. The pipelines for this phase were installed earlier this year. The filtration, disinfection, storage and pumping facilities should be completed by summer 2012.

Cost of the first phase of expansion is $5.5 million. Of that, $1.2 million came from federal stimulus funds via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and $846,000 came from federal funding secured by U.S. Rep. John Carter (R-Round Rock).

Future phases will extend the reuse system further north, to serve the growing medical and higher education corridor. The additional phases will add 6 MGD to the reuse system, and includes an elevated storage tank solely for reuse water.

Congratulations to everyone involved with the project.