What Is Happening To The Water In Salado, Texas?
Stop me if you have heard this one before, but, "Killeen, Texas is growing like a weed." Maybe they said Temple, Belton, or Harker Heights. This time we're talking about Salado.
With the population boom happening throughout Central Texas and in particular Bell County, infrastructure needs are following aplenty. In order for the city of Salado to provide adequate water service, their wastewater treatment plant needs immediate upgrades.
What kind of upgrades will be necessary?
The biggest need is capacity. With new funding, the wastewater treatment plant will be able to accommodate up to 300,000 gallons per day.
How long will 300,000 gallons per day be enough for Salado's growth?
Based on current US averages for daily water consumption, about 100 gallons of water are needed for each resident. That makes the math pretty easy. If everyone in town is using about 100 gallons per day, the upgraded facility will be able to serve about 3,000 people.
Projections show that Salado is growing a little over 1% per year. The current population is estimated to be 2,475. So, 300,000 gallons per day will keep the city functioning another 20 years. If Salado experiences a spike, or period of rapid growth, another wastewater expansion will be needed much sooner.
How much will it cost to improve the wastewater plant capacity?
The total number in this article with Fox 44 News isn't mentioned, but Representative John Carter did say $1.5 million has been secured via the Interior and Environment appropriations bill.
Recently, Representative Carter's office had released information that Temple will be receiving $5 million dollars to help address wastewater needs regarding a sanitary overflow reduction project. The last thing anyone wants is wastewater overflowing anywhere.