Lick Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion, College Station, Texas

The City of College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M University, desired to expand the Lick Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) from its current permitted capacity of 2 MGD to a new rated capacity of 5 MGD. There were several major enhancements to the plant structure these included the expansion of the pump station, a grit wastewater facility, and an expanded return and waste activated pump station.

The project was designed to accommodate projected growth rate in the area based on Land Use Plan through the installation of large interceptors, added capacity to the WWTP and replacement of aging infrastructure. The design was completed and opened to bid at the end of 2018. Due in part to the labor cost increases with Hurricane Harvey projects also bidding and an increase in material costs, the bids were much higher than anticipated. The city worked to reduce costs with CSA Construction and Freese and Nichols (Freese), the selected contractor and engineer.

To address the project design requirements while finding a cost-efficient solution, the engineer specified a DuroMaxx® SRPE sanitary outfall line as one of the allowable materials from the WWTP to aid in the expansion of the pump station. The general contractor chose DuroMaxx. This provided significant cost reductions in comparison to the fiberglass reinforced pipe (FRP) gravity sewer pipe originally specified on the plans. After review of the system requirements, a 54-inch diameter, 924 LF with 10.8 psi HP joints meeting the performance requirements of ASTM D3212, DuroMaxx® SPRE system. Additionally, a short run of 54-inch DuroMaxx that included a removable plug was added to allow for a future connection to a 54-inch sanitary trunkline coming into the WWTP.

DuroMaxx® SRPE was a viable solution because it was able to handle all of the necessary design requirements and had the lowest installed estimate of all the reviewed pipe materials. The 54-inch DuroMaxx passed a low-pressure air test after it was installed. Additionally, the area where this pipe was installed was very tight and no trees were allowed to be removed, so the lightweight DuroMaxx pipe was easier for the contractor to handle versus other pipe materials.

In a growing city, new and expanded sewer lines are a necessity. Unfortunately, the work involved also created inconveniences and other changes to the nearby Lick Creek Park. According to the College Station Parks & Recreation Department, Lick Creek Park’s beautiful trails exist because of the treatment plant, which began operating in 1987. Sewer lines were trenched toward the plant before the city developed the trail system years later. While a temporary inconvenience during the expansion phase, the added benefits of the enhanced Lick Creek WWTP system far outweighed the intermittent closures. The new trunk line will run through the established public utility corridor from Fitch Parkway to the treatment plant.