Village Creek Water Reclamation Facility
The Village Creek Water Reclamation Facility discharges treated effluent into the West Fork of the Trinity River, a sensitive stream that during dry months may be composed of up to 95 percent treated effluent.
Village Creek was built in 1958 to serve East Fort Worth. The original treatment capacity then was 5 million gallons per day (mgd). Today, Village Creek has a capacity of treating 166 mgd and it serves more than 20 other surrounding communities in addition to the more than 700,000 Fort Worth residents. The plant is owned and operated by the City of Fort Worth Water Department. Its service area includes most of Tarrant County and parts of Johnson County.
The treated wastewater from Village Creek is environmentally converted into “A” Biosolids that are safely and beneficially land applied at numerous sites around North Texas. Both, the treated effluent and biosolids are regulated under a permit issued by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) permit contains effluent limits as well as reporting, record keeping, monitoring, testing, and pretreatment requirements. The TCEQ web site has more information on the TPDES program.
Village Creek Facts:
- Treated Flow 39.7 billion gallons
- Average Daily Flow 108.5 million gallons
- Serves a population of 900,000; including 22 communities
- Produces and beneficially reuses about 41,246 dry tons/year of Biosolids
- Reuses about 68,732,244 gallons of wWater on nearby golf courses
Historical Timeline
1965-1972
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The plant was expanded to 45 MGD. Flow was diverted from the downtown Riverside Wastewater Treatment Plant through a 96" main.
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1980
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Expansion to 96 MGD. The Riverside plant was closed and Village Creek began treatment of all wastewater from Fort Worth and surrounding cities.
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1987-1988
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Expansion to 120 MGD after additional final clarifiers and effluent filters were built to accommodate high flows. A chronic toxicity limit was added at this time.
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1994-1999
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Expansion to 166 MGD.
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1995
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Initiated 100 percent contract dewatering by belt press and land application (biosolids).
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2001
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Replacement of existing engines with gas turbines which use digester gas.
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2004
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Constructed an 80 MGD High Rate Clarifier for high flow treatment.
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Future Plans
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Upgrade secondary treatment by 17 MGD.
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Recycling Energy
Village Creek is also dedicated to using its resources efficiently, and that includes recycling energy. Methane gas produced during anaerobic digestion is captured and used to generate electricity on site and to power blowers that provide air for the aeration basins.
About 90 percent of the energy required for aeration is produced by the generated power.