Denton board approves consent item on temporary wastewater plant; developer to remove or relocate equipment after use

The Denton Public Utilities Board approved consent item F on June 8, adopting terms for a temporary wastewater treatment facility associated with a private development. Charlie Rose Dahl, Director of Development Services for the City of Denton, said the Clear Creek interceptor is expected to be complete by late 2028 or early 2029 and that the temporary plant would likely be online for about a year to a year and a half.

Dahl said water infrastructure for the development will be sized to the city's master plan, but wastewater infrastructure for the site will be built to serve the developer’s project because it is in a different basin. "Water, yes, it would be built, to serve that region in accordance with the master plan, but wastewater, it would just be for their development," Dahl said.

When asked whether the temporary plant would become city property or be sold after its use, Dahl said the agreement currently requires the developer to remove the plant at their cost; the city has the option to require lawful disposal or to have the developer relocate the equipment to a city‑chosen site for future use or sale. Stephen Gay, General Manager of Water Utilities, cited a past example — the Robeson community plant — where the city took over a developer-built plant and later repurposed it in the larger system.

A board member asked whether the city had used this exact arrangement before; Dahl said this configuration is not something the city has done exactly in the past. After discussion the board moved and unanimously approved the consent item.

The agreement anticipates coordination with the Clear Creek interceptor project and leaves final decisions about removal, relocation or sale of the temporary plant to the city's water team at the time of removal.