Construction of Northeast Water Purification Plant in High Gear
During a flyover of the City of Houston’s Northeast Water Purification Plant Expansion project on 9/11/2020, I counted 13 construction cranes operating simultaneously on different parts of the site. The site stretches a full two miles from the start of the plant near the northeast corner of Beltway 8 to the tip of the water intake platform in Lake Houston. Here are photos that show the scope of this massive construction project.











The plant expansion will supply 320 million gallons per day of treated water capacity in addition to the current 80 million gallons per day. So capacity will quintuple by completion in 2024.
Converting Area to Surface Water to Reduce Subsidence
The expansion of capacity will allow more water systems in the region to convert from groundwater to surface water. That should reduce subsidence and help avoid flooding.
Improved Techniques
According to the City, “The expansion will include conventional treatment processes like the existing plant that help coagulate, settle, filter, and then disinfect water.” Quality will exceed requirements set forth by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
In addition, says the City, an advanced oxidation process called ozonation will disinfect water to help ensure that harmful organisms such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium are eliminated. Ozonation also helps eliminate taste and odor causing compounds, which improves the aesthetic quality of the water supplied by the plant.
Receive Updates
This construction update by the City of Houston shows additional ground-level and drone photos of the construction. You can sign up to receive future updates here.
Contractor Portal
Here is the main procurement portal for the project. Contractors looking for work on the site can sign up here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on September 17, 2020
1115 Days since Hurricane Harvey