Facility Tours

Attendees can add to their Texas WaterTM 2023 experience by registering for one of the three Friday morning tours. Tour tickets are in addition to conference registration and include transportation. Cost is $35 if purchased by March 20; $40 thereafter. A limited number of tickets may be available for purchase on-site. Choose one of the three tours that will leave from the George R. Brown Convention Center at 8 a.m. Friday morning:

Option 1: City of Houston Northeast Water Purification Plant Expansion

The City of Houston partnered with four regional water authorities to plan, design and construct a 320 MGD expansion to the Northeast Water Purification Plant (NEWPP). The project has been underway since 2012, design was completed in 2019, and construction is progressing towards start-up of the first phase of operation in 2023 and final completion by mid-2025. The project is being delivered using progressive design-build with a total budget of almost $2 billion. The City, authorities, project advisor and design-builder have worked collaboratively through many issues and challenges to be ready to deliver a new source of drinking water to over 2 million customers in the greater Houston area.

Participants will be guided on a walking tour of the areas that are under construction including pretreatment, intermediate ozonation, filtration, pumping and other support facilities. All participants for this tour will be

required to wear approved PPE and must arrive

wearing construction-toed shoes. Hard hats, vests, gloves, and safety goggles will be available for loan. The

tour is limited to the first 40 people who sign up.

Schedule:

8:00 am: Leave from George R. Brown Convention Center 8:45 am: Arrive at Northeast Water Purification Plant 9:00 am: Safety Briefing and Project Overview 9:30 am: Walking Tour of Expansion facilities 11:00 am: Complete tour and leave for George R. Brown Convention Center 11:45 am: Arrive back at George R. Brown Convention Center

Option 2: Sugar Land Surface Water Treatment Plant & Constellation Stadium

The City of Sugar Land’s surface water treatment plant began delivering water to Sugar Land customers in November 2013. The completion of this plant marked an important milestone in the city’s long-range plans to meet growing water demands and comply with state mandate for groundwater reduction requirements. Water produced by the treatment plants originates from the Brazos River. The plant can deliver 10.86 MGD. Two raw water storage reservoirs can hold 27 MGD. The raw water undergoes robust treatment processes including high-rate plate settlers, membrane filters and granular activated carbon filters. Sugar Land’s water is treated to meet a very high standard which surpasses all federal and state drinking water standards. The plant received the Best Tasting Water in Texas in 2019 and the Best Tasting Water in USA in 2019.

Next, the tour will stop at the Constellation Stadium. Constellation Stadium is a state-of-the-art field and is the home of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the official Triple-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Houston Astros. The ballpark’s multi-purpose design features a variety of dynamic settings accommodating everything from intimate catered events to large festivals. This tour will provide an intimate look at the stadium. The tour is

limited to the first 40 people who sign up.

Schedule:

8:00 am: Leave from George R. Brown Convention Center 8:45 am: Arrive at Sugar Land Surface Water Treatment Plant 9:45 am: Complete Tour and Leave from Sugar Land Surface Water Treatment Plant 10:00 am: Arrive at Constellation Stadium 10:45 am: Complete tour and leave for George R. Brown Convention Center 11:30 am: Arrive back at George R. Brown Convention Center

Option 3: GCA Bayport Wastewater Treatment Facility & Armand Bayou Nature Center

Bayport Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) is Gulf Coast Authority’s largest facility, serving primarily industrial customers via a 2.25-mile BioSan pipeline for process wastewater and contaminated storm water runoff and a parallel “Clean Stream” concrete channel for streams that require solids treatment only, such as cooling tower blow-down water. The original plant was built by Friendswood Development Company, then owned by Exxon, as part of its Bayport Industrial Complex. GCA acquired the facility in 1974 and has expanded and improved it since. With customers ranging from petrochemical plants, warehouses and transportation cleaning facilities, Bayport WWTF treats one of the most diverse wastewater streams in the GCA system.

Next, you will have the opportunity to experience Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC) on a Bayou Safari Tour. ABNC is one of the largest urban wilderness preserves in the United States, containing 2,500 acres of the natural wetlands forest, prairie and marsh habitats once abundant in the Houston and Galveston area. ABNC is home to over 370 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians and offers hiking trails, live animal exhibits and a historic farm site. The Bayou Safari Tour begins with a leisurely stroll down our elevated boardwalk to our Environmental Learning Center, observing an abundance of local plants and wildlife. Then board on electric vehicles, the Bayou Ranger I and II, for a ride through the riparian forest down to the bayou, prairie and farm area, and end by saying hello to our bison. The tour is

limited to the first 40 people who sign up. Schedule:

8:00 am: Leave from George R. Brown Convention Center 8:45 am: Arrive at GCA Bayport Wastewater Treatment Facility 9:45 am: Complete Tour and Leave from GCA Bayport Wastewater Treatment Facility 10:00 am: Arrive at Armand Bayou Nature Center 11:00 am: Complete tour and leave for George R. Brown Convention Center 11:45 AM - Arrive back at George R. Brown Convention Center