Reclaimed treated wastewater and sewage sludge will be piped from the Aransas Pass Wastewater Treatment Plant to the Reynolds Metals property where it will be used for dust control and to maintain and encourage plant growth on 450 acres of old bauxite tailings.
While some of the water will be consumed in maintaining vegetative cover, most will be “polished” as it moves through the vegetation and will then be used by Sherwin Alumina as manufacturing process water.
This new recycling process allows the same water to be used three times - for municipal purposes, for irrigation and for manufacturing. Startup of the pipeline effectively expands the regional water supply because the recycled water will take the place of Nueces River water that has been used for dust control, irrigation and manufacturing.
The project also addresses the issue of nutrient enrichment of Redfish Bay where water quality is expected to improve because only a small portion of the effluent from the Aransas Pass treatment plant will be discharged to the bay in the future.
A demonstration project to prove that habitat could be created on the bauxite tailings has been underway for almost a decade. Texas A&M University at Kingsville has investigated plant species, soil amendments and planting practices. Completely barren and sterile “ red mud” areas have been converted to lush growth that has attracted a variety of local wildlife.
Tom Ballou of Sherwin Alumina managed the reuse demonstration project for Reynolds. “We call this ‘serial’ water reuse,” he said. “This is a project where everyone is a winner. Our water resources are extended, bay water quality is improved, manufacturing needs are met, and we get an alternative way to enhance several hundred acres of tailings that will serve as a wildlife sanctuary.”
The water conservation project was built by SPMWD with a loan from TWDB which joined the TNRCC in strongly endorsing the project. Reynolds has received special recognition from the Sierra Club for this innovative water conservation effort.
SPMWD provides water to Odem, Taft, Portland Gregory, Ingleside, Aransas Pass, Naval Station Ingleside, Port Aransas, Rockport, Fulton and two rural water systems. It also serves industries including Sherwin Alumina, Reynolds Metals, Occidental Chemical, OxyMar, DuPont, Air Liquide, Gregory Power Partners, and Ingleside Cogeneration LP.
The district’s customers account for approximately 20% of the total demand for water from the regional water supply system managed by the City of Corpus Christi. Much of the region’s growth is taking place in the SPMWD’s service area. To meet this need the district has completed more that $30 million in system expansion projects in the past three years.
