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Residents press city for treatment-plant updates; officials say developer tie-in is possible but costly
Summary
Residents asked the council for a meeting and updates on a nearby treatment plant and a developer seeking to tie into Greenville—s sewer; city staff said a tie-in looks technically possible but would require expansion and several million dollars of infrastructure work and that the city is monitoring regulatory and administrative options.
Charles Meador, speaking for Friends of Hunt County for Clean Water, told the council members he and other citizens want an off-agenda meeting to discuss progress on the treatment plant and a developer's proposal to tie into city sewer infrastructure.
Meador said the developer had requested the city's "as-built" plans to determine whether a tie-in would be economically feasible. "The feeling, I believe, right now is that it is possible for the city to allow it to tie in based on... expansion of our plant," Meador said, and he added that both physical and economic feasibility remain in question.
Meador said the group has engaged outside counsel and has been in contact with the developer; he asked the council to keep lines of communication open and to continue challenging the developer's filings where timelines or requirements were missed.
A city staff member who answered Meador's request said the city had reviewed the developer—s materials and that a tie-in appears technically feasible but would require pipe upsizing, possible new or expanded lift stations, and several million dollars of infrastructure work. The staff member also said the city has reviewed letters submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and noted that the city's permitted wastewater treatment performance (a TPDES permit) is more stringent than the developer's current permitted level.
The staff member said the city is watching the developer's response timelines; if the developer misses a required response, the council could direct staff to pursue administrative contested-case procedures with TCEQ and the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) or consider other legal remedies.
Why it matters: residents and the city are evaluating whether a private development can or should tie into municipal treatment without creating long-term health, safety or regulatory concerns. Meador said the group will continue follow-up and requested timely responses from city staff. The city said it will monitor the developer—s responses and timelines and will report back to the council if administrative or legal actions become appropriate.
