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Amarillo staff and consultants say Hollywood wastewater plant must be replaced; combined plan could cost $2–3 billion
Summary
City staff and Kimley‑Horn consultants recommended building a new Hollywood Road treatment plant (to meet current loads and 25‑year growth) and retaining River Road in operation until the new facility is online. Conceptual combined estimates ranged from $1.5–2B for treatment plus $0.5–1B for infrastructure (total $2–3B); staff outlined phased funding options and an aggressive permitting timetable to meet TCEQ 75/90% deadlines.
City staff and consultants told the Amarillo City Council that the Hollywood wastewater treatment plant has reached the end of its useful life and recommended building a new Hollywood facility with capacity for current needs and projected growth over the next 25 years.
Kimley‑Horn summarized more than a year of master‑planning and a recent preliminary engineering report. Key findings: both Hollywood and River Road facilities frequently operate near 75% of permitted capacity; under TCEQ guidance the city must begin engineering, financial planning and permitting when average daily flow reaches 75% of permitted flow, and must obtain TCEQ authorization to start construction if daily flow hits 90% for three consecutive months. The consultants concluded that upgrade or piecemeal remodeling at existing Hollywood structures would not provide the long life expectancy and regulatory resilience a new facility would.
Recommended steps include: build a new Hollywood facility (sited on city‑owned land northwest of the current plant), construct conveyance pipelines and a lift station to route River Road flow to Hollywood, and continue River Road operation during construction. Staff emphasized the need for early engagement of a construction manager at risk during design to control cost and phasing.
Conceptual cost ranges presented to council were large: roughly $1.5–2.0 billion to build the treatment plant plus another $0.5–1.0 billion for infrastructure (conveyance, lift stations, pipelines), yielding a combined conceptual range of about $2–3 billion. Staff and consultants stressed that these are high‑level estimates; an accurate opinion of probable cost requires completion of 30% design and a formal construction procurement process.
Staff outlined funding avenues under study — federal low‑interest financing (WIFIA), Texas Water Development Board programs, FEMA/grants, Bureau of Reclamation funding and local bonds/rate increases — and said the city will pursue all options. Because of regulatory timing, staff said a permit submission to TCEQ should be scheduled to meet 90%‑trigger deadlines and that construction management at risk should be engaged as designs advance.
Council members asked detailed questions about phasing, affordability, and potential public‑private options (pre‑treatment by third parties). Staff said follow‑up steps include a River Road asset assessment (contract approved during the meeting), environmental site assessment for the proposed Hollywood expansion site, and continuing rate‑study work to align funding and customer impacts.
