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Wastewater Treatment Plant Rehabilitation Timeline
1936 | The original portions of the now 80-plus-year-old City of Paris Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) were constructed in 1936 and later expanded in 1944. The WWTP was initially built for Camp Maxey, and ownership was transferred to the City of Paris after World War II. | |||
1987, 1991, 1997 | In addition to regular maintenance, substantial renovation projects were completed on the WWTP in 1987, 1991, and 1997. | |||
February 2009 | WWTP experiences an exceedance of total suspended solids daily maximum allowed by TCEQ permit. | |||
May 26, 2009 | The City of Paris contracted with Hayter Engineering to complete a feasibility study to determine the best action plan for the future. The study by Hayter Engineering considered the construction of a new WWTP south of Paris, renovation and possible expansion of the existing WWTP, and construction of a new wastewater treatment plant at the present plant location. | |||
August 9, 2010
| Hayter Engineering reported that the rated capacity of the current wastewater treatment plant was 7.25 Million Gallons per Day (MGD). But, the condition of the facilities precludes it from being operated at that rate for any significant length of time. Hayter recommended the construction of a new plant adjacent to the current plant location to allow the reuse of wastewater system components, like pipes leading from the city to the plant, rather than building a second plant south of Paris. The cost of construction in 2010 was estimated at $45 million. The City Council took no further action. | |||
September 2013 - December 2014 | In accordance with Texas state law, the City of Paris advertised for a qualified firm to design the rehabilitation of the current wastewater treatment plant. A team of staff members evaluated the four firms that responded, and three firms were selected to move forward. The team received presentations from each of the three firms, expanding on their qualifications and experience. The Utilities Director and Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent toured wastewater treatment facilities designed by each of the three firms. Garver USA, partnered with Freese & Nichols and Hayter Engineering, was selected as the preferred firm for the project. In December 2014, the Utilities Director and representatives from Garver USA and Freese and Nichols met with the Texas Water Development Board to explore funding options for rehabilitating the Paris WWTP. | |||
January 26, 2015 | Engineering firm Garver USA presented its WWTP planning and design methodology to the city council and answered several questions about the state of the WWTP at that time. | |||
February 9, 2015 | The City Council authorizes submitting an application for the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) Wastewater Facilities Planning Program grant. | |||
July 27, 2015Agenda Item 17 Memorandum | As part of the annual budget process, Utilities Director Doug Harris presents the City Council with information about budget needs for 2015-16, including needs for the WWTP. | |||
August 10, 2015 | Garver USA provides an update to the City Council about conditions at the WWTP. Garver shared an estimate of between $35 and $70 million for constructing a new plant adjacent to the existing plant if built at that time. | |||
January 25, 2016 | On a four-to-two vote, The Paris City Council opted not to award a contract to Garver USA for WWTP conceptual design services as had been included in the 2015-16 budget. The Garver USA presentation consists of a detailed WWTP timeline of events to that date and future regulatory requirements being considered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in connection with total phosphorus and ammonia regulation that the current Paris WWTP would not be able to meet. Garver USA shared that they had been working without pay on the city's behalf to find funding opportunities for WWTP reconstruction, received approval for funding from the TWDB in November 2015, and continued the application process. | |||
April 22, 2019 | Then City Manager John Godwin shares with the City Council the situation with the WWTP, explains the time necessary to design and physically rehabilitate a WWTP, and the potential TCEQ fines and other costs that could be realized if processes at the WWTP fail to meet TCEQ regulations. The City Council directed city staff to negotiate and bring a professional services agreement for the Council to consider with Garver USA for WWTP conceptual design services. | |||
June 10, 2019 | The City Council approves a professional services agreement with Garver USA for funding research assistance, Surveys and Geotechnical Coordination, and Conceptual Design of a rehabilitation project for the WWTP. | |||
September 26, 2019 | The City of Paris is notified that TCEQ was pursuing an enforcement action against the city. TCEQ assessed an administrative penalty of $19,050 against the City of Paris. The TCEQ proposes a one-time offer to defer $3,810 of the penalty. The City of Paris agrees to pay $15,240 to TCEQ for violations of the Texas Water Code and Commission Rules. | |||
June 8, 2020 | The City Council receives a water and sewer rate study report by NewGen Strategies, as required by contracts with wholesale and industrial customers. The annual study is guided by the Rate Maintenance Policy adopted by the City Council in 2010. | |||
July 27, 2020 | The City Council hears Garver's WWTP rehabilitation project status report. The presentation includes a description of the problem with the WWTP and the consequences of not rehabilitating the plant. Consequences include possible penalties by TCEQ of up to $50,000 per violation per day and an administrative order to construct improvements to resolve the issues. TCEQ could also take over the rehabilitation of the plant, with the City of Paris having little or no input but being required to pay for the construction. On a six to zero vote, the Council approved moving forward with Garver to begin actual designs and bid documents for the rehabilitation project. | |||
November 9, 2020 | During the consent agenda portion of the City Council meeting, the Council approved a resolution related to a funding request for the WWTP rehabilitation project with the Texas Water Development Board. | |||
January 25, 2021 | City staff and Garver reported to the City Council that the application for funding with the Texas Water Development Board was not likely to succeed and shared information about other funding options. | |||
February 8, 2021 | The Paris City Council approves an amendment to the contract with Garver, dividing the project into two phases and posting notice of intention to issue certificates of obligation to fund phase one of the WWTP rehabilitation project. The Council also approves a multi-year sewer rate plan to increase rates periodically over multiple years. The periodic rate adjustments and dividing the project into two phases were designed to allow city residents to more easily adjust to semi-annual smaller rate increases and avoid a single large rate increase. | |||
October 11, 2021 | Having completed property, geotechnical, and other surveys and initial 3D design images, Garver reached 30% design completion and provided an update to the City Council. | |||
April 11, 2022 | Garver updates the City Council after completing 90% of the WWTP rehabilitation design and submitting documents for TCEQ approval. Garver described parts of the design process, including regular meetings with city staff seeking mechanisms to minimize the project's cost while ensuring the plant will serve the city well for many years. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ), used to pre-evaluate and approve potential construction companies for the project, was issued before this City Council meeting. | |||
April 25, 2022 | NewGen Strategies and Solutions, LLC., delivered the annual water and sewer rate study to the City Council. The City Council adopted the water rates as recommended in the rate study. | |||
July 25, 2022 | City Manager Grayson Path updated the City Council on the status of the WWTP rehabilitation with an emphasis on funding considerations. | |||
October 24, 2022 | The City Council considered four items related to the WWTP rehabilitation project. Bids received for the construction of phase one were higher than estimated. The City Council unanimously approved awarding a contract to Thalle Construction to build phase one of the project. The City Council then approved a change order to reduce the cost of phase one by over $2 million. The Council also approved a sewer rate adjustment related to phase one WWTP rehabilitation costs. The City Council unanimously approved issuing and selling bonds to finance to be used toward WWTP phase one rehabilitation. | |||
December 12, 2022 | On December 8, 1969, the City of Paris entered into a contract with the Toco Water Supply Corporation for wastewater services. In 2014, Toco became delinquent in paying the City of Paris for wastewater services with an accrued debt at the time of this council meeting of more than $80,000. The City Council, on a unanimous vote, approved a modification to the 1969 contract through which Toco would allow the City of Paris to charge Toco residents directly for wastewater services. Toco agreed to pay for necessary equipment and installation and the remaining accrued debt to ensure that the City of Paris receives payment for past, present, and future services provided. | |||
June 12, 2023 | At the suggestion of city staff, the City Council authorized staff to move forward with restructuring the debt that was used to fund water and sewer line replacement projects in 2006. The action would reduce debt payments by approximately $1 million per year, which will be applied to WWTP rehabilitation debt and lessen future rate increases that would be necessary. | |||
Aug. - Sept. 2023 | The approved City of Paris FY23/24 Budget includes transferring $1.5 million of utility debt payments from utility rates to property tax. This means that property taxes, not wastewater fees (rates), are used to pay a portion of utility system debt (bonds). This increase in Bond Indebtedness property tax rate was partially aided by a concurrent planned decrease in the Maintenance and Operational (M&O) property tax rate (for more information, please review pages 2 and 7 of the City Manager's Proposed FY23/24 Executive Summary). In addition, the impact of $1.5 million on property tax is felt less by residents than through their utility bills by spreading across the overall property tax base. The Phase II construction bids will affect the ultimate rate, but by freeing up $1.4 million in annual utility rates (September 25, 2023) and shifting $1.5 million in annual utility rates to property tax, this produces $2.9 million in annual savings that will help minimize or alleviate future needed rate increases connected to the WWTP project. The ultimate goal for the Water and Sewer Fund is to operate as a stand-alone enterprise where utility rates fully support costs. However, the WWTP is a unique situation that warrants assistance from property tax. The presence of a fully operational and functioning WWTP provides a public benefit to all residents, properties, and property owners. In addition, affordability is a critical aspect for our residents. In time, the goal will be to shift this expense from property tax back to utility rates. | |||
September 25, 2023 | The City Council completed the restructuring of debt related to 2006 water and sewer line replacement projects as directed at their June 12, 2023 meeting. On June 12, the Council authorized the City Manager to act on restructuring when deemed most advantageous to wastewater customers. The City Manager moved forward with restructuring during a favorable period in the bond market, saving $1,400,000.00 annually, or almost $400,000 more per year than anticipated. | |||
December 11, 2023 | Garver provides an update on phase one of WWTP rehabilitation and the phase two design process. | |||
January 22, 2024 | Based on Garver estimates, the City Council votes to publish notice of intent to issue Certificates of Obligation up to but not to exceed an amount of $65 million to finance phase two of the WWTP rehabilitation project. | |||
March 25, 2024Agenda Item 14 Memorandum | The City Council approves issuing $44 million in certificates of obligation to fund phase II of the WWTP renovation project, SCADA software for the Water Treatment Plant and contingency funds for the project. | |||
April 8, 2024Agenda Items 9 & 10 Memorandum | The Paris City Council approves the bid Heritage Constructors, LLC. of Paris in the amount of $39,988,500.00 for the final phase of the WWTP renovation project. The bid was $13 million under the opinion of probable construction cost (OPCC) prepared by Garver engineers. | |||