TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – On Wednesday, city council approved a project to help Tyler Water Utilities modernize its wastewater system.
City council approved a $2,462,950 contract with Capps-Capco Construction for the Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant Fast-Tracked Sludge Lagoon Rehabilitation Project.
This project is part of a larger initiative to support Tyler’s continued growth through 2052.
“This is the kind of proactive decision-making the
master plan
is designed to support,” said Project Engineer Nikki Ingram. “By addressing the lagoon now, we are staying ahead of regulatory challenges while continuing to modernize our system piece by piece.”
The Westside plant has a 5.2 million gallon biosolids storage lagoon originally used to store sludge during land application. The city said TWU now processes all biosolids through a dewatering facility and disposes of them at the landfill, but the lagoon plays a vital backup role during times when the dewatering facility becomes overloaded.
The lagoon was already almost at capacity in 2023, and it was emptied that year to remain in compliance with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Crews then discovered a protective liner in the lagoon had deteriorated and needed to be replaced.
While full-scale rehabilitation of the Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant is not scheduled to begin until 2026, the city said TWU separated the lagoon rehabilitation and sludge pump station work as a separate capital improvement project to avoid delays.
The project is set to include rehabilitation of the lagoon, construction of a pump station, site improvements and electrical upgrades.
The Sludge Lagoon Rehabilitation Project will start in August 2025 and should be completed by August 2026.
