Post by jonsdigs on Jul 4, 2007 16:18:41 GMT -5
Estimated cost rising 13% for water plant
City says it is spending $40.7 million more mostly to limit plant's environmental impact.
By Sarah Coppola
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF (Austin, TX)
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
The estimated cost of a new City of Austin water treatment plant has jumped 13 percent — $40.7 million — since last summer.
The city is spending more to build a plant that won't harm environmentally fragile land in Northwest Austin, Assistant City Manager Rudy Garza said. It's not clear how much the increase will cost ratepayers.
The plant, slated to open in 2013, will sit on 102 acres at the headwaters of Bull Creek and draw water from Lake Travis. The site was a controversial choice because it's home to two endangered animal species (a beetle and a bird) and near the habitat of a rare salamander.
The geology below the site is sensitive because it contains karst: porous, Swiss-cheese-like rock formations through which rain and surface water run to the environmentally sensitive Edwards Aquifer, said Chuck Lesniak, environmental program coordinator at the watershed protection department. There are five springs and two creeks on or near the site that could be affected by the plant.
"We want to do everything we can to maintain the environment of the site in its current status," Garza said.
This year, the city hired an environmental consulting firm and redesigned some plant features to limit its impact, Garza said. The estimated cost rose from $314.4 million to $355.1 million; $3.6 million has been spent.
Full Story
City says it is spending $40.7 million more mostly to limit plant's environmental impact.
By Sarah Coppola
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF (Austin, TX)
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
The estimated cost of a new City of Austin water treatment plant has jumped 13 percent — $40.7 million — since last summer.
The city is spending more to build a plant that won't harm environmentally fragile land in Northwest Austin, Assistant City Manager Rudy Garza said. It's not clear how much the increase will cost ratepayers.
The plant, slated to open in 2013, will sit on 102 acres at the headwaters of Bull Creek and draw water from Lake Travis. The site was a controversial choice because it's home to two endangered animal species (a beetle and a bird) and near the habitat of a rare salamander.
The geology below the site is sensitive because it contains karst: porous, Swiss-cheese-like rock formations through which rain and surface water run to the environmentally sensitive Edwards Aquifer, said Chuck Lesniak, environmental program coordinator at the watershed protection department. There are five springs and two creeks on or near the site that could be affected by the plant.
"We want to do everything we can to maintain the environment of the site in its current status," Garza said.
This year, the city hired an environmental consulting firm and redesigned some plant features to limit its impact, Garza said. The estimated cost rose from $314.4 million to $355.1 million; $3.6 million has been spent.
Full Story