Wimberley residents expressed their frustrations with a wastewater update presented by City Manager Shawn Cox during a town hall meeting Jan. 30.
Cox said he hopes to reach a flushing date “as close as I can to July 2020.” However, community members find it hard to believe since there is no contract to begin work on the north side of the project.
The wastewater project is divided into two parts, the north side and south side of Cypress Creek. In the original contract, approved in 2013, the city was not responsible for the north side of the creek, but now the city is tasked with that responsibility and taking steps to begin construction.
The goal on the south side is to build gravity pipes to reach the Aqua Texas lift stations located near HEB. This lift station is referred as the HEB/Emergency Lane Lift Station. Cox said the lift station has the capacity of 75,000 gallons a day, which is the adequate capacity for the city. The conveyance method or waste transportation recommendation is pending. Once pipes reach the lift stations the waste will be transferred to a treatment facility through Aqua Texas.
So far 70 percent of the gravity lines have been completed. The remaining gravity lines will be located on Oldham Lane, Ranch Road 12 and FM 3237. Cox expects to have the remaining gravity lines designed and ready for installation later this month.
In addition, the city will need to install a lift station on Ranch Road 12 and FM 3237 and install force main lines. Currently, Cox and his engineer are finalizing the design for the force main route and lift station.
The next step is to span the Cypress Creek or create a line at the intersection of Ranch Road 12 and FM 3237, which was approved by TxDOT in November. In late 2019, city council could not complete negotiations with landowners for an easement that would cross the creek.
Now, the city will coordinate with TxDOT on how to cross the creek. At the meeting, Cox shared the ideas sent to TxDOT which include a pipe that will be placed along the Cypress Creek bridge and the other option is a lift station. Cox is waiting for the agency to review those options and find out what TxDOT requires so the city can begin to contract and design the connecting pipe.
Once the connection is made, the city can begin working on the north side. To complete the north side, the city will have to get more funding. Cox provided a cost estimate of $220,000, but admits that is a low estimate. The price will not be set until a rebid is complete. The city will have to rebid its contract because Texas laws require it.
a rebid if the current contract budget is increased over 25 percent. The estimate costs and Capital Excavation totals $4,700,000, according to presentation slides.
Construction on the north side won’t begin until a north side specific contract is established and a design is created that will connect with the south side. Then the city will begin building the north side structure. At the meeting, Cox shared a design for the north side, which can be found on the city’s website.
