Treatment Benefits

Water, when used, becomes contaminated. Before it can be returned to the environment or reused, most of the contamination must be removed. Wastewater treatment, also called “water recycling”, separates and removes contaminants from water. The end product of water recycling is a clean water product, ready to be reused or returned to the environment. The by-products of water recycling are called biosolids. Biosolids contain high-quality organic nutrients and can be used to condition soil for growing non-food crops or made into compost for application on lawns and trees.

The benefits of water recycling include:

  • Protection of public health from waterborne disease
  • Protection of the natural environment and the wildlife that depends on it
  • Protection of downstream water supplies
  • Removal of toxic and hazardous materials that might accumulate in the environment
  • Protection of water sources for recreational use
Effluent Volume by Year

Note: Steve Clouse WRC, a state-of-the facility, has replaced both Rilling Road (1987) and Salado Creek (2006) treatment facilities.