NTMWD Water Treatment Residuals Monofill

Project Overview

NTMWD’s Member cities and surrounding communities in Collin County continue growing at a fast pace. The District must plan and construct the infrastructure and processes required to meet future growth. As part of this planning effort, NTMWD purchased 410 acres near Josephine, TX for a site to place water treatment residuals from the water treatment process.

As part of the requirements for this project, NTMWD submitted an application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for the construction of a monofill site to dispose of the water treatment residuals offsite from our water treatment plant. The project proposes to do this in an economical fashion which then allows NTMWD to reclaim land at the Wylie Water Treatment Plant complex in order to meet the water needs of the region for the future.

Our Goal: Be a good neighbor by planning and constructing a facility with proven technologies that aligns with industry best practices and blends into the surrounding community.

 

 

Frequently asked questions:

  1. What is a monofill?

A monofill is a site designated and limited to the disposal of one specific type of byproduct. The NTMWD Water Treatment Residuals Monofill (Monofill) will be used to dispose of water treatment residuals (WTR) from the District’s water treatment process for producing drinking water.

 

  1. What are water treatment residuals (WTR)? Is it safe?

The majority of the water treated at our Wylie Water Treatment Plant (WTP) comes from Lavon Lake. As one of the first steps in our treatment process to produce drinking water, particles such as silt and clay are removed using an iron coagulant to settle the particles in basins for collection. This sediment,  settled particles or WTR are then removed and dried for application to agricultural fields. The high iron content enhances plant health.

These WTR are considered safe and are currently beneficially land-applied for growing certain crops. The Monofill will be constructed with a protective, impervious liner to minimize seepage to protect the environment.

Testing occurs to determine nutrient components.

 

  1. What will the facilities look like?

The facility will be designed to integrate into neighboring areas by using visual barriers such as green spaces, screening, tree plantings, and/or natural vegetation. The site will include temporary WTR storage area, dewatering equipment housed inside a building, some heavy equipment and the monofill disposal area.

Initially after construction and operations begin, berms will be constructed from excavation that could create some visual barriers. Over time, as the continued impoundment of WTRs begins to accumulate, it will look like a mounded earthen area or gentle sloping hill. It is the District’s intention that the dewatering facility be designed and constructed to have the appearance similar to local farming operations.

The site will have at least a 50-foot buffer with a fence near the perimeter of the property, and public access to the site will be restricted by the fence and locked gate, as well as sign postings.

 

  1. Does it smell?

The odor of WTR is mild or earthy and similar to that of lake water. Since the odor is similar to existing lake water, we do not anticipate any odor concerns. However, if any odor issues arise, we would use proven technologies to address the odor.

 

  1. Will there be any runoff during storm events?

Berms, stormwater channels and stormwater ponds will be constructed to control stormwater runoff, and there will be a clay liner/impervious layer under the Monofill to prevent leaching.

 

  1. Why is NTMWD undergoing permitting to construct a monofill?

NTMWD is looking to build and operate this Monofill to free up space on the Wylie Water Treatment Plant site for future expansion and other uses.

Currently the WTRs are stored in lagoons at the Wylie WTP and periodically dried and removed for application across Collin County-area agricultural fields. A consolidated site would be a more efficient for the disposal, storage and possible future use of these WTRs  .

 

  1. How will this affect traffic on the nearby roads?

The current plan is to send WTR to the site through a pipeline which will result in little to minimal additional traffic on nearby roads. With the pipeline, we do not anticipate any additional truck traffic associated with hauling WTR to the site.

If there is not a pipeline constructed, the District would use trucks to transport WTR to the Monofill. Based on current volumes, we estimate there could be up to 50 trucks per day on average.

 

  1. When will construction and/or operations begin?

The current plan is as follows:

  • TCEQ permitting process:  2021 – 2024
  • Facility/site design:  2026 – 2030
  • Construction:  2036 – 2040
  • Site operational:  2040

 

  1. Who can I contact with questions or concerns now? Who can I contact once the site is operational?

Our goal is to be a good neighbor with those in and around the Monofill and the city of Josephine. You can contact Jerry Allen, NTMWD Permitting Manager at jallen@ntmwd.com or 469-626-4634. You can also contact projects@ntmwd.com or publicrelations.info@ntmwd.com.

Once the Monofill is operational, there will be staff onsite and contact information will be provided on our website.