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Veolia reports water and wastewater improvements that cut purchases from Wichita Falls; police/fire demo city drone capability
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Summary
Veolia briefed the board on operational improvements at the water and wastewater plants, including UV modules, reduced purchased water from Wichita Falls to 6.7M gallons, and an 80% complete temporary line approved by TCEQ; the police/fire chief demonstrated the city’s new public-safety drone, stressing it is not being used for indiscriminate surveillance.
City-contracted operator Veolia updated the Burkburnett Board on water and wastewater operations and capital work, reporting several operational wins and projected savings.
Veolia said wastewater influent peaks at about 4.8 million gallons per day (MGD) and the plant’s daily average was approximately 1.455 MGD; no permit violations or sanitary sewer overflows were reported. Staff highlighted completion of a third UV module and improved collection-system work: roughly 3,797 feet of sewer line jetted, 58 manhole inspections, and 340,000 pounds of sludge moved offsite this month.
On the drinking-water side, Veolia reported a substantial drop in purchased finished water from Wichita Falls to about 6.7 million gallons and attributed roughly $200,000 in savings since efficiency work began. A Veolia representative said the temporary (TCEQ-approved) line is about 80% installed; once the new tanks and permanent mains are online the plant hopes to increase regeneration cycles (currently four per day) to six or seven, which should reduce dependence on purchased water and, staff said, could yield citywide savings on the order of $500,000 per year when fully implemented.
Separately, Chief King demonstrated the new public-safety drone and management software (DroneSense). The chief addressed social-media concerns and said "that's not going on" in response to reports of indiscriminate surveillance, noting the drone had been used for training and a controlled demonstration and that operations will include pilot logs, event-specific insurance requirements, and command-post live feeds for large incidents.
Both items were received as informational. Veolia will continue to report progress on the temporary mainline, tank deliveries, and anticipated regen-frequency improvements; public safety staff offered hands-on demonstrations after the meeting for commissioners and staff.
