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The City of Kerrville is working on a plan that would discharge treated wastewater into the Guadalupe River to be treated again for reuse.
The idea sprang from a long-term water plan city officials began working on in 2018.
Other reuse schemes, including remote well fields and direct potable reuse, which treats wastewater with reverse osmosis, were deemed too expensive.
The plan builds upon an existing discharge line currently being used for irrigation. That pipeline would be extended to a second discharge point to Elm Creek.
David Barrera is Kerrville’s public works director.
“And then from there it would navigate its way over to the Guadalupe River or what we know as Nimitz Lake, which is our lake," he told TPR.
Nimitz Lake, which is fed by the Guadalupe, is the city's primary source for water.
“We will be dumping in 500,000 gallons into this 273 million gallon reservoir," he added.
The treated discharge would be mixed with the existing water in the lake and would account for .2% of the lake’s volume.
Despite statewide drought conditions, Kerrville is not currently in an emergency water crisis.
"Right now, we're not in need of that water. Our water situation is pretty good. This is more securing long term, being more proactive," said Barrera.
Barrera said he is aware that some people are pushing back on the idea of reusing wastewater, but he says it's a matter of educating the public.
"I think the folks don't ... quite understand it, how our wastewater treatment plant operates. We do have one of the [most stringent] discharge permits in the state of Texas because of where we sit, which is at the headwaters of the Guadalupe River. Our parameters are a lot tighter than other permit holders across the state."
"You have to keep in mind, our water is discharged, and it ends up in the Guadalupe River, so we treat our water to very, very high standards that are set by the TCEQ."
The city has hired a consulting firm to design the new pipeline and would still have to seek further permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. With city council approval the new system could be in place in 2029.
