City of Abilene Hamby Water Reclamation Facility Water Reuse Project

Plummer has provided water quality and permitting support to the Abilene Hamby Water Reclamation Facility for over a decade. Our services to the City have included water quality modeling for Kirby Lake in Abilene, Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) permitting, water reuse planning, plant design upgrades, and regulatory reporting support.

Plummer assisted the City with the incorporation of a new outfall into the TPDES permit. We developed the water quality model for the discharge to Kirby Lake and worked closely with staff at the TCEQ to build a model that was acceptable to the TCEQ. The discharge to Kirby Lake was an integral part of the City’s plans for non-potable reuse within the City. Plummer prepared the application for a 210 authorization (reuse authorization) and worked with the TCEQ to obtain an authorization for the City. Additionally, we prepared permit amendment and renewal applications for the City for the TPDES permit.

More recently, with eHT as the prime, Plummer worked with the City to develop a capability to augment their potable water supply with reclaimed water. This process included an evaluation of Lake Fort Phantom Hill (LFPH) to determine appropriate blending levels and water quality requirements for a discharge to the lake. The objective of this study was to determine how much reclaimed water could feasibly be discharged into LFPH to augment the water supply. The evaluation included assessment of reclaimed water blending ratios and detention times as well as evaluation of compliance with the Texas Surface Water Quality Standards for TDS, chlorides, and sulfates.

Plummer later assisted with plant design upgrades to accommodate the discharge of reclaimed water to the lake. The treatment plant upgrades were designed to allow the City to discharge up to 7 mgd of advanced treated effluent to the lake. At this rate of augmentation, a significant portion (> 50%) of the lake can be comprised of reclaimed water during low rainfall periods. The advanced treatment processes (membrane bioreactors, ozonation, biological activated carbon) were selected to provide additional treatment for the removal of pathogens and trace organic constituents in the reclaimed water. In addition to the design, Plummer and eHT worked together to amend the TPDES permit to add an outfall to LFPH.