Water Renewal Services outlines $3 billion in assets, advances recycled-water project with pilot results and upcoming contracts

Deputy Public Works Director Haley Faulkner and Water Renewal staff briefed the Boise City Council on the water-renewal utility’s programs, infrastructure condition, regulatory drivers and next steps for a recycled-water facility the city plans to build in southeast Boise.

Faulkner said water renewal collects and treats about 30,000,000 gallons of wastewater per day and maintains more than 1,000 miles of pipelines and 29 lift stations across five major facilities; she described the system’s replacement value as “over $3,000,000,000 in infrastructure if we were to be replacing that system today.” The two largest treatment sites are Lander Street and West Boise; the city also operates a 4,000‑acre farm (the “20 Mile South Farm”) used for biosolids land application, a phosphorus removal facility, and utilities-maintenance operations for pipelines and pump stations.

Faulkner reviewed completed and planned work at Lander Street (headworks, ultraviolet disinfection upgrades, secondary clarifier construction, safety and access improvements) and at West Boise (UV disinfection, secondary system improvements and future tertiary/phosphorus treatment). She said projects are staged to increase capacity, replace aging assets and meet regulatory obligations while treatment continues during construction.

On recycled water, Faulkner said the city purchased land in southeast Boise for a new recycled-water facility and completed a multi-year pilot that treated more than 5 million gallons and gathered about 40,000 data points to inform permitting, design and community outreach. She said the pilot-survey respondents were largely supportive of reuse and groundwater recharge: “in that kind of the respondents from that 98% shared that they were comfortable with water reuse and groundwater recharge.” Staff described the planned facility as producing purified water for groundwater recharge and industrial reuse and said the city is pursuing the necessary state recycled-water permits.

Faulkner outlined near-term procurement actions council members will see: a guaranteed maximum price amendment (GMPA) for West Boise secondary improvements and a separate GMPA for ultraviolet disinfection (to manage long-lead equipment procurement under the construction-manager/general-contractor method); an amendment for Brown & Caldwell (engineering services) to move into detailed design for recycled water; and a CMGC preconstruction-services contract with PCL as the selected contractor for the recycled-water project.

Council members asked about responsibility for collection-system infrastructure and the status of remaining sewer-district consolidations; staff said the city has been consolidating sewer districts as annexations occurred, that the West Boise sewer district remains under contract and that its contract is due to expire at the end of 2026. Staff also reported efforts to modernize lift stations and use condition-assessment work (including pipeline televising) to prioritize high-risk replacements and reduce claims.

Why it matters: the water‑renewal program is a major capital and operational portfolio for the city, combining regulatory compliance (discharge permits and phosphorus removal), aging‑asset replacement, and an initiative to keep more water local through a recycled‑water facility. Staff emphasized that many construction projects must be executed while facilities remain in operation, and that procurement planning (ordering long‑lead equipment early) is essential to keep project schedules on track.