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Renovation of the Caney River Pump Station is set to get underway this fall — bringing the City of Bartlesville's long-awaited Water Reuse System one step closer to completion.

In addition to obtaining additional water rights at Copan Lake, Bartlesville City Councilman Trevor Dorsey said water reuse is one of the long-range measures the City is taking to help ensure potable water availability for the next 100 years. Dorsey said there will be plenty of work in the coming years to improve the City of Bartlesville's Water and Wastewater System. He said the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) at the state level regulates certain things that the City of Bartlesville has to do so they are at a point where upgrades and improvements are needed.

Water reuse is made possible through the Oklahoma "Water for 2060" law, the goal of which is to consume no more fresh water in the year 2060 than was consumed statewide in the year 2012, while continuing to grow the population and economy of Oklahoma.

"The way to achieve this goal is through utilizing existing water supplies more efficiently and expanding the use of alternatives such as water reuse and other non-potable water supplies," said Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen, noting that El Paso, Las Vegas and Phoenix have implemented reuse systems with good results.

"The law instructs the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, the regulatory arm of the State, to develop regulations and encourage water reuse, which allows cities opportunities for wastewater to be recycled and retreated for its public water supply. It allows the two systems to work together in a more cost effective, efficient and sustainable way that wasn’t possible before."

The system will require the construction/installation of infrastructure that will consist of a pump station at the wastewater treatment plant and an underground pipeline transporting the water to the Caney River just south of the County Road West 1500 bridge.

"This will allow the City to utilize treated wastewater to augment the yield of the Caney River during periods of drought, which serves as one of the City’s main water sources," Lauritsen said. "We will pump treated wastewater upstream (of the) Caney River and allow it to blend with existing river water, then send it to the water treatment plant for further treatment and, from there, to our water customers."

Part of the reuse project includes renovation of the Caney River Pump Station, the City's original pump station, which is located in Johnstone Park.

A $1.2 million project, the renovation involves replacing all pumps at the station as well as exterior repairs. Contract company Crossland Construction will start work on the renovation in September or October, depending on administrative aspects of the project, Lauritsen said.

The entire reuse system is expected to cost around $8.2 million, which will be funded partially through grant funding but primarily with Water Capital Investment Fees. Implementation of the entire system is targeted for completion late next year.

The City of Bartlesville supplies water to Bartlesville residents as well as the cities of Dewey, Ramona and Ochelata and several rural water districts.

Average annual water use for the area is 5 to 6 millions of gallons of water per day (mgd), with usage spiking as high as 12 mgd during the summer months, and dipping to 3-4 mgd during the winter.

Studies show that water reuse could extend available water supply by 4 mgd, which will help meet estimated future water demands of 7.1 mgd by 2035 and 8.4 mgd by 2055, based on a projected 2055 Washington County population of 63,000.