Long-awaited sewer plant opening soon in Burnet
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
BURNET — The city of Burnet is days away from the opening of the new sewer plant, City Manager David Vaughn announced.
“We are extremely excited to see this project come to fruition and see all of the years of hard work produce a product that will benefit our community for many years to come,” he said.
Staff members and inspectors still need a few days to resolve some remaining issues, which include sensors, flow gauges and computer software that must work correctly to ensure the plant can produce effluent that is compliant with its Texas Commission on Environmental Quality permit and settlement agreements with the city of Austin and the Lower Colorado River Authority, Vaughn said.
Still, the extra work is worth the effort, the city manager said. After all, staff members and residents have been working on the project for a decade. Construction began three years ago.
And once the plant is in operation, Vaughn said it will serve the community for many years to come.
“The new plant is designed to meet the city’s needs for the next 30 to 40 years, depending on growth patterns,” he said. “The new plant has some of the strictest water-quality standards in the entire state and is capable of producing a very high-quality effluent, which is used in lieu of potable water at the golf course, baseball fields and hay irrigation operations.”
The high-quality effluent is desirable for those kinds of facilities because it recycles water for another use and is safe for human use on fields.
jfierro@thepicayune.com