Why did the City purchase the Buster Chatham Road property?
The City purchased the property to preserve a potential location for future wastewater infrastructure.
Waiting until the existing wastewater system approaches capacity to begin searching for property could limit available sites, increase costs and reduce the City's ability to thoughtfully evaluate alternatives.
Purchasing the property well in advance preserves an option for the future.
Why was the property annexed?
The City already owns the property. Annexation brings City-owned property into Waco's city limits and provides clearer jurisdiction and consistency for zoning and long-range planning.
Annexation does not authorize construction of a wastewater treatment facility.
Has the City decided to build a wastewater treatment plant here?
The property has been preserved as a potential location for future wastewater treatment capacity. However, a facility is not currently under design or construction.
Future development, system capacity, engineering, environmental review, regulatory permitting, funding and City Council decisions will determine whether and when a facility moves forward.
When could a wastewater treatment facility be built?
There is no established construction date.
Previous planning contemplated an earlier timeline. However, recent improvements to the existing wastewater system — including the reroute of the 27-inch Flat Rock Road wastewater line — have provided additional system flexibility.
Based on current conditions, engineering activities are currently anticipating around 2035 or later. The timeline will continue to be evaluated based on actual development and system capacity.
The timeline will continue to be evaluated based on actual development and system capacity.
How will the City know when another facility is needed?
The City actively monitors wastewater system conditions, including the downstream interceptor serving this area, using smart-cover technology.
This monitoring, combined with development trends, wastewater flows and regional planning, helps staff identify capacity needs and determine when additional infrastructure may be necessary.
What would happen before a facility could be built?
A future facility would require multiple steps before construction could occur, potentially including:
Growth & Capacity Monitoring → Engineering Study → Environmental & Technical Evaluation → Public Participation → Regulatory Permitting → Funding & City Council Decisions → Final Design → Potential Construction
The City is currently focused on long-range planning, system monitoring and capacity evaluation.
How could wastewater be treated at a future facility?
No treatment process has been finalized because a facility has not been designed.
Previous planning has considered treatment processes similar to those used at the City's Bull Hide Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, including biological nutrient removal, filtration and ultraviolet disinfection.
If a future facility moves forward, the City would evaluate treatment technologies available at that time, environmental and regulatory requirements and opportunities for beneficial reuse of treated water.
Could treated water be discharged into the Brazos River?
Previous planning has contemplated the potential discharge of treated effluent to the Brazos River. However, no final treatment or discharge plan has been designed or permitted.
If a future facility moves forward, treatment standards, potential discharge requirements, river conditions, environmental impacts and opportunities for beneficial reuse would be evaluated through engineering and the regulatory permitting process.
How would impacts on the Brazos River and surrounding area be evaluated?
Environmental considerations would be part of future engineering and regulatory review.
The City would evaluate issues including water quality, flood risk, drainage, site resiliency, odor and noise control, traffic, access, screening, buffers and impacts on surrounding properties before a facility could move forward.
What about odor, noise and traffic?
Because a facility has not been designed, final operational impacts are not yet known.
If the project advances, engineering would evaluate odor-control technology, noise, lighting, traffic, roadway access, screening and buffers. Experience at the City's existing wastewater facilities would help inform that evaluation.