Marble Falls wastewater plant gets $5M boost from EPA fund
The city of Marble Falls will receive a $5 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water State Revolving Fund for its proposed wastewater treatment plant.
U.S. Rep. John Carter, who serves as a chairman on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, explained how the city’s recent growth galvanized his efforts to secure funding for the plant.
“Marble Falls is growing 87 percent faster than other cities of the same size, and that growth requires investments in infrastructure to ensure quality of life for residents,” Carter said in a June 18 media release.
The $5 million follows the announcement of several other funding sources for the plant in recent months, including grants from the Texas Water Development Board and zero-interest loans.
“This necessary piece of infrastructure is only possible for Marble Falls with the assistance of State and Federal assistance,” Mayor Dave Rhodes said in the release.
Rhodes believes the plant will cost roughly $65 million to construct, a break from previous estimates that topped out at about $80 million.
“I’m very confident we are certainly not going to go past the big $80 million we’ve thrown out there,” he said.
The mayor anticipates a groundbreaking for the treatment plant in late September.
“It should take 24 months to complete,” Rhodes said. “That will be the whole shooting match.”
Once finished, the 3-million-gallon-per-day wastewater treatment operation will utilize direct potable reuse, a technology that makes effluent water safe to drink.
“This will be a model plant for Texas,” Rhodes said.