Featured Innovation: Rehabilitation Without Interruption

The Leon Creek Water Recycling Center, a key component of the San Antonio Water System, needed updating, particularly to automate some of the inefficient processes that were straining the facility’s operating budget and staff.

Freese and Nichols led $11.5 million worth of rehabilitations and process improvements, and the project saved money on electricity, chemicals and labor.

The improvements included automating the aeration system to optimize air flow to each aeration basin and improve efficiency and automating the chlorination/dechlorination system to reduce chemical use and, overall, hours spent on manual adjustments of these systems.

Our team also designed and oversaw construction of a bypass pumping installation to allow for 100% bypass of plant flows during the rehabilitation.

This enabled operations to continue at full capacity without interruption, ensuring service to SAWS customers in the San Antonio area.