North Texas Municipal Water District, Texas, USA – Operating Reservoir Augmentation Program, wholesaling to 71 cities
The NTMWD was created in 1951 to serve a group of member cities north and east of the City of Dallas. The District is authorised to acquire, treat, and distribute drinking water and to collect, treat, and dispose of wastes, both liquid and solid, in order to reduce pollution and conserve and develop the natural resources of Texas. The region served by NTMWD has experienced unprecedented growth, and providing reliable, sustainable water supplies has been a priority for the District.
The East Fork Raw Water Reuse Project, which began operation in 2009, has the capacity to augment the District’s drinking water supply with up to 90 million gallons per day (340 million litres per day) of water. The source water for the project is treated water from wastewater treatment facilities owned by the District or District water customers that discharge to the East Fork of the Trinity River downstream of the District’s main surface water supply, Lavon Lake.
The project diverts return flows from the East Fork Trinity River and uses a constructed wetland to provide polishing treatment, including nutrient removal, to the water. This project is the largest manmade wetland in the US. Then, the water is pumped 44 miles (70 km) and discharged at the upper end of Lavon Lake. Water from the project blends with other District supplies and is eventually diverted from the lake and treated at the District’s water treatment plant in Wylie, Texas, and then distributed to customers including 71 cities in North Texas.
The wetland also provides a natural habitat for wildlife and offers visitors unique recreational and education opportunities through the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center.