BCRUA staff report steady progress on Phase 2 pump station, Phase 1D plant work; Phase 2A design nearing permit clearance

Aaron Archer, a project manager with Market Partners, told the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority on March 26 that work on the Phase 2 raw-water pump station and related tunnel is trending toward recovery after earlier delays and that Phase 1D of the water treatment-plant expansion is moving into commissioning.

The Phase 2 raw-water contract is a $225 million agreement; Archer reported contractors have installed roughly $123 million to $124 million of work and that the project is about 55–65 percent complete depending on the metric used. He said the contractor has submitted a recovery schedule showing on-time substantial completion as currently planned for Feb. 16–17, 2027, if recovery measures—such as weekend work—are performed as outlined.

Those recovery measures are focused on finishing underground tunnel liner repairs, installing remaining pump-shaft casings and transitioning to the pump-station foundation work. Archer said the contractor has one outstanding shaft to drill, three casings left to grout, and anticipates casing work complete around May under the current schedule. He also said crews have restarted work on the maintenance-building foundations at the Valente intake site.

Why it matters: Phase 2 is the largest capital contract described at the meeting and will increase the utility’s raw-water pumping capacity once complete. The board’s attention to the recovery schedule reflects the project’s size and cost.

Archer summarized the Phase 1D plant expansion, a $17 million contract with one $190,000 change order and invoices to date in the low-to-mid $14 million range. He said all major structures are built and most equipment installations are complete. The contractor estimated substantial completion in mid-May in one presentation and in late August in a later update in the transcript; Archer told the board the remaining work is primarily electrical, chemical-feed upgrades and commissioning/start-up. He said staff expects a mandatory 30-day demonstration period during plant start-up before declaring substantial completion.

Delivery-point improvements: Archer said Phase 1 of the delivery-point work is substantially complete and punch-list items largely addressed. A late change order will replace an aging flow meter at the Round Rock delivery point; staff expects that meter to be online by April 2. Phase 2 delivery-point work was described as nearing testing and commissioning, with an anticipated substantial completion in late May to July depending on final control-panel testing.

Phase 2A design and permitting: Archer said Phase 2A will expand plant capacity from roughly 42 million gallons per day (MGD) to approximately 64–67 MGD (figures varied by presentation) and that staff expects 100 percent design in mid-April. He said regulatory review has required additional responses to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Water Development Board but that a recent call with TCEQ clarified that some previously requested variances did not apply, which should accelerate approvals. Archer said staff is working to bid Phase 2A as soon as regulatory comments are closed, with construction intended to begin in early fall to meet a May 2028 substantial completion target.

SWIFT financing and schedule: Archer reported the final application for SWIFT (State Water Implementation Fund for Texas) funding for Phase 2A has been submitted and, after addressing Water Development Board comments, staff anticipates WDB approval and related financing steps to occur in July–October. He outlined the subsequent steps: the BCRUA board’s approval of the financing agreement, bond sale and a bond-resolution approval in October, with closing typically occurring in November.

Drought and operations: Archer reviewed lake-level thresholds tied to the floating intake. He said decommissioning of the floating intake would be required if the lake fell to elevation 623. Current lake level was reported at about 637; Archer said recent inflows and the latest LGRA forecast did not predict a drop below elevation 623 in 2025, reducing the near-term risk of decommissioning the floating intake.

Board questions and review: Directors asked whether the recovery schedule represents an extension or restoration to the original completion date; Archer said the contractor’s recovery schedule shows work can be performed to meet the existing substantial-completion date but noted they still have approximately two years of work to execute. Directors also pressed staff on regulatory timing for Phase 2A; Archer said bringing regulators together on a single call helped resolve divergent comments and speed review.

Archer and staff closed by saying they will continue to track recovery actions, commissioning activities and drought conditions and will report back to the board as major milestones are reached.

Ending: No formal board action was taken on the capital projects update other than acknowledgment of the report; the board moved on to the meeting’s resolutions and budget items.