WACO, Texas (KXXV) — The City of Bellmead, the City of Waco, the City of Lacy Lakeview, and Texas State Technical College (TSTC) are working together to complete the North Interceptor sewer projects. These projects are designed to increase downstream capacity and improve conveyance into the Waco Metropolitan Area Regional Sewerage System.
- Phase 1A of the North Interceptor project is expected to be completed by February and will cost the city of Waco $2.5 million.
- Phase 1B is 1% finished and will cost $9.2 million, with Waco's portion being $6.2 million. It's expected to be finished by January 2026.
- The city says they have been slowly increasing water rates to fund these projects and consider future needs.
- Another capital project for the Waco Metropolitan Area Regional Sewerage System is the Bull Hide Creek Treatment Plant Expansion.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It’s something Bellmead resident Michael Knudsen can expect every time it rains.
"It seems like if we get an inch of rain, the sewer system backs up automatically," Michael said.
It's been an issue for some of our neighbors for a while now. 25 News spoke to Michael in Bellmead a couple of months ago about sewage and flooding in his home.
"So this year, we had a flood at the beginning of the year where it came into my house," he said. "It destroyed all the carpet in my home, and we had to have an environmental company come in and rip out the carpet and damaged areas."
But now, there may be some resolution in the future. The North Interceptor project includes the city of Waco, Bellmead, Lacy Lakeview, and TSTC—working together to replace a deteriorating sewer interceptor.
"When I first got on council, somebody told me, “Holmes, as a city councilman, makes sure they turn on the water and the water comes on, and when they flush the commode, everything goes away. So these are too huge projects," Waco Mayor Jim Holmes said during a city council meeting on Tuesday.
Waco's water services presented updates on the project at a city council meeting earlier this week. Phase 1A is under construction and 14% finished.
“You have to think about that because communities in our area right now and our surrounding areas are suffering because their infrastructure will not sustain their community and having to increase rates because they have no choice but to find a way to fund the expansion of their infrastructure," Waco City Council Member Andrea J. Barefield said.
The city says they have been slowly increasing water rates to fund these projects and think about future needs.
"So this is a way we are trying to be as mindful and as good of stewards as we can be of these dollars today while thinking about those needs of tomorrow," Barefield said.
