Wastewater Services


Bryan’s Wastewater Services Department operates three activated sludge plants to treat the community’s wastewater. In FY2021, the department:

  • Adopted a Municipal Setting Designation (MSD) for for 1,284 acres in Bryan. The MSD statute substitutes a municipal ordinance or restrictive covenant for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) regulations to protect the public against exposure to contaminated groundwater. The purpose of the MSD law is to provide a less expensive and faster alternative for the existing state environmental regulations governing investigation and cleanup of contaminated groundwater. All properties located within the MSD will share in the benefit of the MSD certificate. Inclusion of the thoroughfares in the MSD boundary may promote development opportunities for commercial properties with impacted groundwater because of historic uses performed at that property and/or onsite migration groundwater impairments from neighboring sources. 
  • The city’s three wastewater treatment plants operated within their permit and experienced no violations. Renewed the permit coverage for each facility’s stormwater permit.
  • Submitted a discharge permit application requesting approval for construction of a new wastewater treatment to TCEQ. The new plant will increase sewer capacity in east Bryan to support future growth and development in years to come.
  • Adopted a Sanitary Sewer Overflow Initiative (SSOI) plan between the city and TCEQ. An audit of the department’s maintenance, repair and operation of the sewer system will be completed as part of the SSOI Plan. Smoke testing of the entire sanitary sewer basin will be completed over a period of six years. The findings of this study will be used to identify capital planning efforts and direct system repairs to eliminate sources of inflow and infiltration.
  • Made improvements at the wastewater treatment plants to automate various aspects of system operations.
  • Established a groundwater return flow contract for the sale of return flows from the wastewater treatment plant. The return flows are then made available the end user without restriction/allocation by river authorities. This contract provides a new revenue source for Water Services.
  • Continued efforts to eliminate sources of inflow and infiltration on both private and public properties.
  • Designed sewer mains on the west side of Bryan along State Highway 47 for future development.
  • Replaced sewer lines on Churchill Road and Lynn Drive.
  • Decreased wastewater treatment plants’ dependency on potable water use.
  • Updated the site signage at wastewater treatment plans and lift stations.
  • Monitored the effectiveness of odor control technologies and explored further odor reduction technologies, when needed.
  • Increases the aesthetics and appearance of wastewater treatment plants.
  • Executed 100 miles of the proactive cleaning plan.
  • Rehabilitated 100 manholes.
  • Continued developing telespection (TV) layer in GIS and database of TV information.
  • Upgraded control panels at miscellaneous lift stations.
  • Researched communication options for lift stations.
  • Conducted annual miscellaneous sewer line replacements (pipe burst/conventional).
  • Upgraded the wastewater treatment plants network software, application software and hardware.
  • Replaced sewer lines along Woodville Road, Coulter Drive, and Palasota Drive.
  • Replaced sewer lines along Williamson Drive and Bomber Drive.