Water resource recovery and reuse of treated wastewater is an important part of our water conservation strategy and efforts in North Texas.

The East Fork Water Reuse Project is the largest man-made wetland in the U.S. and helps extend our existing water supplies. The 1,840-acre wetland essentially acts as a large-scale recycling project, diverting treated wastewater (effluent) flows from the East Fork of the Trinity River and filtering it naturally before it is returned 42 miles North to Lavon Lake for future treatment and use.

Wastewater reuse is an essential component of our long-range water conservation plan. NTMWD operates the largest indirect wastewater effluent recovery program in Texas, diverting and retreating more than 14 billion gallons annually.

Like most wastewater service providers, we treat wastewater to meet or exceed quality standards and return it to rivers, streams, and other waterways. The treated wastewater return flows, or effluent, blend with other supplies, which can all be used again by other communities downstream. This is a way of indirectly reusing the water. Each day, we pump more than 40 million gallons of treated effluent from the Wilson Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant to Lavon Lake, providing us with additional water supply for our growing region.

Conservation and reuse remain key considerations in the planning process. The Texas Water Development Board estimates that around 30% of the additional water supplies needed by 2070 for our region will come from aggressive water conservation outreach and collaborative water reuse strategies.