Wichita Falls advances $9.3 million filter rehab at Cypress Water Treatment facility

Wichita Falls advances $9.3 million filter rehab at Cypress Water Treatment facilityThe city council has awarded Black & Veatch a $528,000 engineering contract to finalize designs for the rehabilitation of 1961-era filters, a critical step toward restarting one of the city's highest-capacity treatment plants.

Black & Veatch will provide final design, bidding, and construction management services for the Plant 61 filter rehabilitation.

The total project cost is estimated at $9.3 million, with construction accounting for nearly $8.8 million.

Plant 61 is one of only two city facilities capable of treating 16 million gallons per day and blending reverse osmosis water before public discharge.

The project is slated to go to bid by October 2026, following recent refurbishments to the plant's discharge piping in 2025.

The City of Wichita Falls, Texas, is moving forward with the final phase of refurbishments needed to restart operations at its 1961 water treatment plant, located at the Cypress Water Treatment facility. On March 17, the city council approved a $528,000 professional services agreement with Black & Veatch Corporation to design and oversee extensive filter rehabilitation improvements. Plant 61 is a critical component of the city's drinking water infrastructure. According to city staff, it is one of only two facilities in the system capable of treating up to 16 million gallons per day. Furthermore, it is one of only two plants equipped to blend reverse osmosis water prior to discharging it into the public distribution system. The plant has been undergoing phased refurbishments over the past year, including the replacement of discharge piping in 2025. The filter system represents the final major component requiring rehabilitation before the plant can be fully restarted. Without these upgrades, the facility would remain inoperable and continue to deteriorate. The rehabilitation will overhaul the plant's eight existing filters. The scope of work includes replacing the filter media with anthracite and sand, replacing the surface wash systems, and reinforcing existing filter backwash troughs. Additionally, the project will replace 29 filter effluent and drain valves, upgrade two filter control consoles with local controls, and replace valve actuators in the filter gallery. According to project documents, the total estimated project cost is $9.3 million. This includes roughly $8.78 million in projected construction costs, with major line items including $2.52 million for controls and electrical work, $2.18 million for filter media, and $1.74 million for valve replacement. The Black & Veatch contract is funded through the city's Water and Sewer Capital Fund. Black & Veatch, which has previously designed improvements for the facility, will deliver 60-, 90-, and 100-percent design submittals over an eight-month design period. The city anticipates putting the construction contract out to bid by October 2026, followed by an estimated 16-month construction phase.