Award: San Marcos water reclamation facility
Value: $80 million
Location: San Marcos, Texas
Client: City of San Marcos
Kansas City, Missouri-based Burns & McDonnell has won a contract to build a new, 2-million-gallon-per-day water reclamation facility for the City of San Marcos in Texas, according to a Sept. 22 news release. The estimated construction costs are approximately $80 million, Lydia Schroeder, a spokesperson for the contractor, told Construction Dive.
The facility will help San Marcos manage increasing wastewater demands from a planned residential development, according to the news release, and is part of a broader plan to accommodate population growth in the region.
Once built, the treatment plant will be able to provide 2 million gallons per day of wastewater treatment capacity, which can expand to 8 million in the future, Schroeder said. Alongside the process structures, the team will also construct two buildings with approximately 20,000 square feet of administrative and processing space.
As a way of meeting rapidly growing demand, Burns & McDonnell will implement a fast-tracked interim wastewater management system while concurrently designing the permanent facility. The construction team will also attempt to meet an accelerated timeline driven by continued growth in the region.
Construction is estimated to begin in January 2026 on interim facilities, Schroeder said, with permanent plant construction expected to begin in the third quarter of next year. The construction team anticipates the project to be substantially complete by August 2028.
“Our progressive design-build approach gives us the ability to collaborate early, make informed decisions and accelerate delivery — all while keeping the city’s priorities front and center,” said Sarah Isbell, leader of the firm’s water segment in Texas, in the release.
To fund the wastewater project, the city entered into a cost-sharing agreement with several residential developers. The Burns & McDonnell project will then support the developers’ planned homebuilding schedule, per the release.
The demand for water infrastructure is growing, particularly in the Lone Star State, and large public builders see opportunity in the sector. Indeed, the Texas legislature approved two bills that would advance $20 billion total to fight a looming water crisis in May.
Recently, San Antonio-based infrastructure builder Zachry Construction reached an agreement to acquire Plano, Texas-based Crescent Constructors. The move, per Zachry, will help the contractor focus on in-demand water projects.
