Sewer Plant Q and A - July 29
Q. Why does Willow Park need a new sewer plant?
A. Willow Park built a temporary package plant in 2017 to handle increased demand as the city develops. Design on a new plant must begin if 75 percent of capacity is hit three months in a row. The existing plant has neared or exceeded 65 percent of capacity on a monthly average for three months in a row twice since Jan. 2018. To put it in plain language, that means it’s time to get moving on a permanent solution.
Q. Can’t you just add on to the existing plant?
A. No, we cannot. There are two reasons why: there isn’t enough land on the existing site to expand the plant, and TCEQ won’t allow any more discharge into the river at that point. Even if we could expand on the existing site, we’d still have to pipe the effluent to another area on the Clear Fork.
Q. I don’t think Willow Park should even be in the sewer business. Can’t we just partner with another town and send our wastewater there?
A. There are only two options for a wholesale agreement – City of Weatherford and City of Fort Worth. The Fort Worth option wouldn’t even be a possibility for at least six years – which is too late to be a viable solution. It’s important to note that a wholesale contract would take away local control of sewer rates – your rate would be controlled by a municipality in which Willow Park citizens have no vote. Per the chart provided in the July 21, 2020 council meeting, this could be an estimated 100% or more increase to waste water customers over the cost of the treatment facility cost south of the Interstate. And Willow Park would have no control over future rate increases.
Q. Why does Willow Park need a new sewer plant?
A. Willow Park built a temporary package plant in 2017 to handle increased demand as the city develops. Design on a new plant must begin if 75 percent of capacity is hit three months in a row. The existing plant has neared or exceeded 65 percent of capacity on a monthly average for three months in a row twice since Jan. 2018. To put it in plain language, that means it’s time to get moving on a permanent solution.
Q. Can’t you just add on to the existing plant?
A. No, we cannot. There are two reasons why: there isn’t enough land on the existing site to expand the plant, and TCEQ won’t allow any more discharge into the river at that point. Even if we could expand on the existing site, we’d still have to pipe the effluent to another area on the Clear Fork.
Q. I don’t think Willow Park should even be in the sewer business. Can’t we just partner with another town and send our wastewater there?
A. There are only two options for a wholesale agreement – City of Weatherford and City of Fort Worth. The Fort Worth option wouldn’t even be a possibility for at least six years – which is too late to be a viable solution. It’s important to note that a wholesale contract would take away local control of sewer rates – your rate would be controlled by a municipality in which Willow Park citizens have no vote. Per the chart provided in the July 21, 2020 council meeting, this could be an estimated 100% or more increase to waste water customers over the cost of the treatment facility cost south of the Interstate. And Willow Park would have no control over future rate increases