Turning Purple into Green: The Williamson County Water Reclamation and Reuse Project

Without implementation of additional water supplies, the City of Round Rock, Texas will face a water shortage before year 2020. The primary goal of this project is to offset growing demands on the City's potable water supplies by developing a new water reuse system. The objectives were to determine the need, potential benefits, and strategies for implementing water reuse. An engineering Feasibility Report was conducted, which identified reuse as a viable component of the City's long range water supply. A water reuse master plan was completed to estimate irrigation demand in the proposed reuse system and develop a preliminary design for reuse facilities. The City pursued a Federal grant through the Title XVI Program administered by the Bureau of Reclamation in order to partially fund construction of its reuse system. With procurement of grant money, the City is moving forward with construction of a new water reuse system that will produce reclaimed water for landscape irrigation. Phase 1 of the system will reduce potable water demand in the City by approximately 23 million liters per day (6 million gallons per day). Therefore, implementation of reuse will help alleviate a projected future water supply deficit and allow deferral of more expensive, less sustainable water supply options.