Water Reuse Facts

Existing Facilities

Texas was home to the first direct potable reuse facility in the state and nation. The Colorado River Municipal Water District has operated the Raw Water Production Facility in Big Spring since 2013. There was also a temporary direct potable reuse facility in Wichita Falls in 2014–15, and two more direct potable reuse projects are currently in the works in El Paso and Liberty Hill.

There are five indirect potable reuse operating facilities in Texas:

• El Paso Water Utilities operates the Fred Hervey Reclamation Plant, recharging the Hueco Bolson Aquifer since 1985.
• North Texas Municipal Water District operates the East Fork Raw Water Supply Project, polishing water using wetlands and augmenting the Lavon Lake since 2009.
• Tarrant Regional Water District operates the George W. Shannon Wetland Water Reuse Project, polishing water using wetlands and augmenting the Richland Reservoir.
• The City of Abilene operates the Hamby Water Reclamation Facility, augmenting Lake Fort Phantom Hill since 2015.
• The City of Wichita Falls has operated the Wichita Falls Resource Recovery Facility augmenting Lake Arrowhead since 2017.

2022 State Water Plan

• The regional water planning groups in Texas estimated that existing supply from water reuse is projected to produce about 714,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2070, constituting a 15 percent increase. The increase in reuse existing supplyis primarily due to an increase in wastewater flows associated with an increasing population and the capacity of existing reuse facilities.
• 15 of the 16 regional water planning groups (exceptions are regions P) have recommended water reuse as a water management strategy in the 2022 State Water Plan.
• Reuse will account for about 14.4 percent (1,106,000 acre-feet) of all new water supplies in 2070 if all reuse recommended water management strategies are fully implemented.
  • Direct potable reuse: 62,000 acre-feet per year (0.8 % of all new water supplies)
  • Indirect reuse: 739,000 acre-feet per year (9.6% of all new water supplies)
  • Other direct reuse: 305,000 acre-feet per year (4.0 % of all new supplies)

NOTE: All information from summaries of 2022 State Water Plan.

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