San Marcos Water Treatment Plant, GBRA Earns TCEQ TOP Ops Award

SAN MARCOS, TX – The City of San Marcos Water Treatment Plant (SMWTP), operated by the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority (GBRA), earned the Texas Optimization Award from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The SMWTP was recognized for meeting and exceeding rigorous industry requirements for 12 consecutive months for each of the last 5 years, placing it among the top one percent of water treatment plants statewide.

The Texas Optimization Program (TOP) sets goals for surface water treatment plants in removing potential pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) from source water used for drinking water.

The TOP is a voluntary, non-regulatory program created to improve standards of existing water treatment plants.

Currently, the program consists of only 21 of 385 water treatment plants in Texas, and only few are awarded for delivering excellent performance. This is the second five-year award presented to GBRA and the SMWTP.

“The TCEQ recognizes the City of San Marcos Water Treatment Plant’s commitment to the goals of the Texas Optimization Program and its efforts to improve the quality of the drinking water it provides to its citizens,” said Mason T. Miller, TOP administrator.

Jerry Sharp, GBRA manager of the plant, accepted the award on behalf of the operating team. “This award represents the hard work and dedication of some of the best water treatment operators in the state,” he said. “GBRA is committed to providing the citizens of San Marcos and surrounding communities with the highest quality of water possible.”

“This is a very well deserved recognition from the TCEQ for the GBRA operations staff at the City’s Water Treatment Plant,” said Jon Clack, Assistant Director of Water/Wastewater Utilities for San Marcos. “Very few water plant operations can achieve the high level of consistent treatment required to achieve what this group has done and continues to do every day. The City of San Marcos is proud of their accomplishment and grateful for the great work they do,” he added.

GBRA has operated the City of San Marcos Water Plant since 1999 and serves 60,000 citizens of San Marcos as well as customers in the cities of Kyle and Buda, Goforth Special Utility District, and Monarch Utilities, L.P.

The SMWTP uses surface water from Canyon reservoir to reduce the city’s pumping from the Edwards Aquifer by an average of 95 percent.