New water plant cost estimated at $7.7 mln

Refurbishing the City’s 102-year-old water treatment plant will cost an estimated $7.7 million, Olney City Administrator Simon Dwyer told the City Council on March 10.

The estimate for updating the current plant came from Jacob | Martin, a design-engineering firm the City Council hired to explore ways to update the plant without going over its $14 million budget.

The $7.7 million price tage “includes all recommendations and leave the City some room to cut” some options, if needed, Mr. Dwyer said.

However, the proposal does not include a guarantee that the plant could operate for an additional 50 years, he said.

“I requsted a 50-year lifespan but due to changing [Texas Commission on Environmental Quality] regulations, 25 yeras is more realistic,” Mr. Dwyer told the Council. “Once those regulations become the norm, the plant may or may not pass.”

The Council asked Mr. Dwyer to gather information on the cost of a membrane plant, which could use newer technology such as ultrafiltration, micro-filtration and nano filtration to clear Olney’s water.

A membrane plant could last 40 years and produce about 25 percent more water, Mr. Dwyer said. The state approval process for the membrane plant would probably take longer, he said.

The Council also requested more information on the costs of running a traditional plant versus a membrane plant.

Both options would require a new plant to be built beside the existing facility, he said.