Council selected R.E.C. Industries’ bid for granular activated carbon addition project
Construction can begin as soon as next month on a water filtration system that will help alleviate recent incidences of “dirty” and foul-smelling water delivered to Boerne residences.
And if all goes according to plan, it may not cost the city a single dime.
The city received seven bids on a granular activated carbon (GAC) addition project at the Boerne City Lake Water Treatment Plant. On Tuesday, the City Council selected R.E.C. Industries from College Station with its low bid of $1,968,156 for the project.
Andrew Wilkinson, Boerne utilities engineer, told the council that GAC serves “as the final filtration process for the water, like a polishing of our water,” before it goes into water storage at the city’s storage tanks before ultimately being released into its distribution system.
“The goal of the GAC is to remove those organics we can see from time to time in the lake,” Wilkinson said.
Over the past few years, the city had to tackle a “geosmin” event, where water from the lake had a “dirt” or damp earth smell and taste to it. The GAC, Wilkinson said, will reduce or eliminate that potential.
But, the existence of a grant the city applied for in July could clear the cost of the project altogether.
The project was submitted to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) for a Water Supply Infrastructure Grant “for a 100% grant opportunity for eligible design and construction costs for the project,” he told council.
The city, he said, anticipates a response from TWDB by December or January at the latest. The grants are not for a percentage of the cost but rather are granted for the entire cost of the project.
The project will add a carbon filtration step to the existing treatment system to reduce naturally occurring organic compounds that can contribute to the formation of regulated disinfection byproducts.
The additional filtration is expected to help reduce seasonal taste and odor issues associated with changing environmental conditions in Boerne City Lake.
“These improvements are intended to enhance the quality and consistency of the City’s treated water while reducing the potential for future regulatory compliance concerns,” the city stated in a project brief sheet.
The installation of the GAC skid at the Boerne water treatment plant will include all ancillary piping, valving and all associated site work, electrical work, and instrumentation and control work
