Houston staff recommend building new East Water Purification plant, outline $3.3–$4.2 billion funding plan

At a special Service Delivery Committee meeting, Houston Public Works presented a plan to build a new East Water Purification Plant and recommended a delivery approach intended to speed construction while limiting disruption to existing operations.

Council Member Tarsha Jackson, chair of the Service Delivery Committee, convened the hybrid meeting and invited staff to present the East Water Purification Plant Enhancement Project, which Houston Public Works leaders said supplies water to roughly 90% of residents inside city limits who are served by the system.

Sameer Salanki, chief financial officer for Houston Public Works, told the committee that the department has secured a low-cost SWIFT loan commitment from the Texas Water Development Board for $966,000,000 and is pursuing Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) financing that could cover up to 49% of the project. "We were able to secure some low cost financing through them to the tune of $966,000,000," Salanki said. He added that combining TWDB and WIFIA loans, plus Houston Water utility contributions and a local contribution, brings the preliminary total near $4.2 billion.

Ravi Kalyatode, senior assistant director for drinking water operations, reviewed the need for the project and the alternatives the…