August 2, 2006 News Media Release

Austin Energy, Austin Water partner to use reclaimed water at power plant

Austin Energy and Austin Water have partnered to conserve valuable water and increase Austin’s available water supply by sending treated wastewater to the Sand Hill Energy Center for use by a power plant rather than discharging the treated water down the Colorado River.

Switching from potable water to treated wastewater frees up the estimated 50 million gallons per summer month required by the 300-megawatt combined cycle plant for use by as many as 6,250 average-size homes in Austin. Using reclaimed water instead of potable water also will reduce Sand Hill’s water bill from almost $2 million a year to $500,000.

The treated water began flowing this summer from the adjacent South Austin Regional (SAR) Wastewater Treatment plant into a miniature water treatment plant located at Sand Hill. There the water goes through a final cleansing process to remove nutrients from the water that could cause algae growth in the combined cycle unit. The water is then used to re-cool or condense the steam that is used to turn the generator. Power plants that do not have access to a lake, such as Sand Hill, generally use potable water for cooling purposes.

Austin Energy and Austin Water partnered to invest $7.5 million in capital improvements at the treatment facility to supply Sand Hill and other customers with reclaimed water. Austin Energy’s share of one-fourth the cost will be paid out over 30 years.

The improvements at the treatment plant enable Austin Water to deliver 8,000 gallons of reclaimed water a minute, 2,000 of which will be used by Sand Hill. The remainder can be sold to other customers to help Austin conserve water. Prospective customers Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA), the Hilton Hotel at ABIA, Guerrero Park, Johnston High School, and Govalle Park.

Currently, Austin Water reclaimed water customers use roughly 2 million gallons of reclaimed water per day, about 800 million gallons annually. By 2050, the Utility is anticipating reclaimed water usage of approximately 27 million gallons per day.

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For more information, contact Ed Clark, Public Information.
Phone: (512) 322-6514
Pager: (512) 802-2000