What We Do
The Water Utilities Organization is comprised of the following departments. Please click on any department for further details:
Engineering
The Water Utilities Engineering Department, consisting of professional engineers, associate engineers, engineering technicians, survey technicians and clerical staff, is responsible for providing professional engineering services for all branches of Water Utilities Division. This includes project design, preparation of plans and specifications, surveying, construction inspection, contract administration and regulation compliance ranging in cost from $10,000 to $2.5 million. In addition the Water Engineering department updates and maintains all the City’s water and sanitary sewer maps which include over 10,000 section maps, as-built construction drawings, plats and computer generated maps.
Land Application
State law requires proper and lawful disposal of treated effluent in accordance with the permit issued for wastewater disposal. Applying treated wastewater to crops is an economical alternative which approaches wastewater as a recyclable resource while minimizing adverse impacts on the surrounding environment.
The Lubbock Land Application Site, know to many residents as the City farm, encompasses 6,000 acres east of the City of Lubbock. 13 million gallons of effluent from the Southeast Water Reclamation Plant are used here daily to irrigate crops, such as wheat, corn, alfalfa and hay grazer. A 412 million gallon storage reservoir enables the farm to store and distribute treated effluent to the 31 center pivot sprinkler systems as needed. Irrigation practices are designed to prevent contamination of surface and ground water in the area. Farming and cattle grazing activities at the Land Application Site provide return revenues thereby reducing the overall expense of wastewater disposal and eliminating the need to discharge effluent into surrounding streams or lakes.
The Land Application Site is also home to the Farmer Stockman Show each fall and is involved in exploring many of the newest products and techniques available to farmers.
Customer Service
Pipeline Maintenance
A number of other activities must also occur for Lubbock residents to have an adequate water supply.
Pipeline construction crews build new pipelines to service expanding areas of the community. These crews are responsible for getting the water to the customers. Maintenance crews are responsible for repairing and replacing leaking underground water pipes, which minimizes water losses in the system. Specialized maintenance crews maintain and repair the numerous pumps, meters, valves, and electronic components used in the Water Treatment Plant and throughout the entire system. These crews are on-call 24 hours a day to assure that the customer always has water when they turn on the tap.
Water Treatment
The Lubbock Water Treatment Plant maintains the quality of our drinking water. Located just east of Lubbock International Airport, the plant was built in the mid 1960s and put into operation upon the arrival of water from Lake Meredith in 1967. The plant received a $17 million upgrade in the early 90s. This plant is operated by a staff of highly trained professionals who utilize state of the art technology to treat incoming water. During 1996, this modern facility supplied over 11 billion gallons water to Lubbock and surrounding communities.
Lubbock’s Water Utilities Water Treatment lab must continually test treated water to ensure that federal and state standards are met. These standards are designed to assure safety from harmful contaminants. Technicians regularly sample water from various points in the system to guarantee the highest water quality is maintained throughout the entire system.
The final result is safe, drinkable water at the turn of the faucet -- when it’s needed, at a price that’s affordable.
Wastewater Treatment
Located at the Southeast Water Reclamation Plant is the Industrial Waste Monitoring and Pretreatment (IWMP) division. This group conducts regular testing of the collection system to determine if businesses are putting things down the drain that could cause problems in either the collection system or the water reclamation plant. The primary goal of IWMP is to protect the Southeast Water Reclamation Plant from harmful discharges that could result in operational upsets as well as possible violations of the state and/or federal permits. IWMP actively monitors Lubbock industries to accomplish this goal.
At the Southeast Water Reclamation Plant, wastewater is treated to become a reusable product. The treatment process utilizes physical and biological processes to produce a high quality effluent. Recognizing the value of water on the South Plains, all effluent is reused for agricultural and industrial purposes. The recently renovated plant is designed to meet Lubbock’s needs for the next 20 years and currently treats approximately 21 million gallons per day.
Education
The Public Works Education Team promotes water conservation, recycling, and public awareness to the citizens of Lubbock.