Austin Mulling $45M Loan To Water Utility, Honors Trailblazing Ex-Council Member

AUSTIN, TX — Council members are mulling a request from the Austin water utility for a $45 million loan to help pay for upgrades to to wastewater treatment plants.

The city's growth has spurred the need to help improve filtration systems, as KXAN reported. The output of treated water illustrates that growth: Officials said the Austin water treatment plants currently treat some 95 million gallons of sewage a day, according to the report.

The city operates two major wastewater plants. One is the Walnut Creek plant on FM 969 in East Austin and the South Austin regional plant near State Highway 130 and State Highway 71.

In a related matter, council members agreed to name the city's fourth water treatment plant in honor of Berl Handcox, the first African American elected to city council since Reconstruction. Handcox served from 1971 to 1975.

On Thursday morning, Mayor Steve Adler read a proclamation honoring Handcox in naming the city's fourth water treatment plant, which is located in far northwest Austin — the area that Handcox represented as councilman. Present at the ceremony was Handcox himself, surrounded by family members and community leaders.

>>> Read the full story at KXAN

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