Background

Reynosa currently has two treatment plants with a combined capacity of 28.5 million gallons a day (mgd): Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) No. 1 serving the north sector (22.8 mgd) and WWTP No. 2 serving the south sector (5.7 mgd). The current wastewater flows generated by the city exceed the existing treatment capacity. As a result, approximately 9 mgd (400 lps) of untreated or inadequately treated wastewater is being discharged into the Rio Grande.

In addition to the lack of wastewater treatment capacity, Lift Stations 1, 2, 7, and 8 in the north sector of the city have exceeded their useful life and experience recurring problems that also result in raw wastewater discharges into the Rio Grande.

To address these problems, CONAGUA has invested funds to expand WWTP No. 2 and to improve lift stations 22 and 30, which convey wastewater to WWTP No. 2, in order to provide the treatment capacity required to meet existing flows, as well as increased flows in the near future. The wastewater treated by WWTP No. 2 will be discharged into an adjacent agricultural drain (Rhode Canal), which conveys the effluent to Irrigation District No. 026 and eventually flows into the Laguna Madre.

Description

The project consists of improvements to the wastewater collection
and treatment infrastructure in the city of Reynosa, which will result
in providing wastewater treatment coverage to 100% of the
community. The project has the following main components:

• Improvements to wastewater collection infrastructure,
  including:
  - Construction of Lift Station No. 278 (2 mgd),
  - Rehabilitation of Lift Station No. 1 (8.22 mgd),
  - Improvements to Lift Station No. 30 (13.7 mgd) and Lift
    Station No. 22 (4.6 mgd) at WWTP No.2; and construction of approximately 3,182       linear feet of gravity sewer lines, 18,904 linear feet of force main and 18 manholes.
• Expansion of WWTP No. 2, by constructing two new treatment modules with trickling filters with the capacity to treat 5.7 mgd of wastewater each.
• Decommissioning of Lift Stations 2, 7, and 8.

Benefits

The project will eliminate an average of 9 mgd of untreated or inadequately treated wastewater discharges, reducing the contamination of shared water bodies, including the Rio Grande, as well as the risk of waterborne diseases, which will also have a positive impact on the health of residents in nearby communities, such as McAllen and Pharr, Texas, and throughout the entire region.

With the expansion of WWTP No. 2, Reynosa will have a total of treatment capacity of almost 40 mgd, sufficient to treat 100% of the flow collected by the local wastewater system, which is estimated at be 37.5 mgd.