Surface Water Treatment Plant, USA

Background

This 30 MGD surface water treatment plant is situated on Lake Conroe in Texas and supplies drinking water
to Montgomery County and the surrounding area.
There are plans to expand the plant to 120 MGD to support future growth.
For more information on SJRA, visit Turning Lake Conroe Water into Drinking Water.

Challenge

Montgomery County water consumers used 83,000 acre-feet of water in 2010. That figure is expected to nearly triple by 2060, according to the Texas Water Development Board, largely because of rapid development and population growth countywide.
Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District mandated a reduction in annual groundwater use in Montgomery County leading to the development of the facility, which opened in 2016.

Solution / Results

Four EBS 15000 automatic screen filters were installed in 2013.
Design code: ASME VIII, Div. 1
Pinning on the plant is < 4%, with two contributing factors – the performance of the EBS filters and the low flux rate the plant is operated at.
The filters continue to perform well.

Engineering
• Plant Design: AECOM, Freese & Nichols, HDR
• Solution Provider: Pall (selected Amiad EBS strainers for TSS removal pre-MF membranes)
• Construction: McCarthy (CMAR)

Future Plans

Zebra mussels are anticipated to be a problem in the lake in the future and discussions regarding appropriate solutions to handle those conditions are ongoing, though disc filtration will be a better option later down the road.