Something Borrowed, Something New: Whites Branch Alternate Discharge Pump Station and Pipeline

Increasing wastewater flows with decreasing effluent permit limits presented a giant challenge for the Trinity River Authority of Texas's (TRA) Denton Creek Regional Wastewater System Wastewater Treatment Plant (DCRWS). An expanded service area and a change in the water quality modeling protocol used by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) forced TRA to look for alternative discharge points to distribute the load being discharged from the DCRWS. TRA examined options within the system and took advantage of two developing pipeline projects that allowed postponed expenditures/cost sharing, achievement of anticipated effluent limits, and operational flexibility. The project includes approximately 9 mi of influent and effluent pipelines ranging in size from 16 to 48 in. This paper discusses how TRA changed planned infrastructure improvements to creatively meet the future wastewater conveyance needs of the system while providing operational flexibility and meeting changing discharge requirements.