City of Pflugerville Water Treatment Plant Expansion
Designing for current and future water treatment needs
Project Purpose
The City of Pflugerville Water Treatment Plant has a capacity of 17.7 million gallons per day (MGD). Master planning documents have projected that the City’s water service area growth, at ultimate buildout, will support a 75-MGD water treatment plant at the existing site. This capacity will be gradually achieved over time with a phased implementation strategy – beginning with expansions to 30, 45, 60, and 75 MGD.
The purpose of this project was to develop a phasing plan for the facility and design the initial expansion of the plant to 30.0 MGD, while planning for improvements to maintain regulatory compliance, safety, and process innovation for future phases.
Project Approach
As a subconsultant, KFA developed the approach to expand the Lake Raw Water Pump Station and High Service Pump Station to 75.0 MGD and designed the initial expansion to 30.0 MGD.
- Lake Raw Water Pump Station: For the Lake Raw Water Pump Station, KFA evaluated the hydraulic capacity of the existing system from the lake intake to the water treatment plant, determined the ultimate capacity, and determined the sequence of events necessary to expand the facility to 75.0 MGD. This included expanding the existing pump station to 33.7 MGD with the addition of two pumps rated at 8.4 MGD each. For the next expansion, a parallel pump station, lake intake, and pipeline to the water treatment plant were necessary. The plan developed by KFA reduced the cost of the initial phase and allowed the City to plan for the future expansions.
- High Service Pump Station: KFA evaluated options for expanding the existing pump station from 25.7 MGD to 35.0 MGD and providing service for two pressure planes while planning for the ultimate capacity of 75.0 MGD. The options we evaluated included expanding the existing High Service Pump Station with the addition of two pumps or constructing the first phase of a new pump station. Constructing a new High Service Pump Station #2 was the selected alternative, because this option reduced the construction cost by simplifying the phasing requirements during construction and allowed us to incorporate features that are necessary for future expansions.
The findings of these evaluations were included in the Preliminary Engineering Report that was submitted to the Texas Water Development Board for NEPA funding eligibility.
KFA designed the expansion of the Lake Pump Station and High Service Pump Station under an expedited schedule that allowed the City to meet the projected water demands of the rapidly growing City. We also developed an approach for the systematic expansion of the paving and drainage facilities at the site.
Project Results
KFA’s approach to condition assessments and option evaluations maximized the use of existing infrastructure, reduced initial capital costs, and positioned the facility for efficient future expansions. Construction is expected to be completed in 2026.