Water And Wastewater Infrastructure Engineering

Challenge Overcome: Discharge permits in Caldwell County near the San Marcos River watershed face intense scrutiny from regional water authorities and environmental advocacy groups. Public hearings attended by Modern Engineering Solutions staff for neighboring discharge permit applications revealed highly contentious 30+ month permitting timelines. The 210E pathway bypassed this opposition entirely, securing approval in just 4 weeks by demonstrating beneficial agricultural reuse. The project’s 2.0 MGD scale, one of the largest 210E authorizations issued to date for MES, proves that flow volume does not limit 210E applicability when industrial components and viable reuse plans are present. The off-site reuse agreement with Circle G Livestock provides long-term disposal certainty while supporting local agricultural operations.

Location: Martindale, Caldwell County, Texas
Authorization Number: 2E-0000348
Time to Permit: 4 weeks
Time Saved vs. Discharge Permit: ~23 months
Project Type: Master-planned mixed-use development combining residential subdivisions, data center operations, and concrete batch plant facilities

Wastewater Profile:

• Design flow: 2,000,000 gallons per day (2.0 MGD)
• Waste stream composition: Municipal wastewater: 1,794,000 gpd (89.7%), Data center wastewater: 120,000 gpd (6.0%), Concrete batch plant: 600 gpd (0.03%)

Reuse Strategy:

• Off-site agricultural irrigation to Circle G Livestock tree farm and sod production
• 53 acre-foot storage reservoir designed per 30 TAC §309.20 using 25-year worst-case precipitation data

Challenge Overcome: Williamson County denied septic permit approval due to platting issues and site constraints that made conventional on-site wastewater treatment infeasible. The 210E authorization bypassed county jurisdiction entirely, allowing the project to proceed under state-level TCEQ oversight with a zero-discharge reclaimed water system. The 4-week approval timeline enabled the developer to maintain construction schedules and avoid costly project delays.

Location: Taylor, Williamson County, Texas
Authorization Number: 2E-0000369
Time to Permit: 4 weeks
Time Saved vs. Discharge Permit: ~23 months
Project Type: Mixed-use business park combining industrial operations with commercial/office facilities

Wastewater Profile:

• Design flow: 6,700 gallons per day
• Waste streams: Domestic wastewater, cooling systems, equipment cleaning, facility maintenance

Reuse Strategy:

• On-site irrigation for business park landscaping
• Fire protection system (self-contained on-site reuse)

Challenge Overcome: A traditional 1.0 MGD discharge permit in the San Marcos area would have faced significant opposition from environmental groups concerned about impacts to the San Marcos River and Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. Public hearings and third-party referral processes typically extend discharge permits to 30+ months in this region. The 210E authorization completely avoided the contentious discharge permit process by implementing a zero-discharge system. Even with the larger flow volume requiring more detailed technical review, TCEQ approved the authorization in just 10 weeks—21 months faster than a discharge permit. The project’s data center component provided clear industrial justification, while the large-scale on-site irrigation capacity eliminated any surface water discharge concerns.

Location: San Marcos, Hays County, Texas
Authorization Number: 2E-0000365
Time to Permit: 10 weeks
Time Saved vs. Discharge Permit: ~21 months
Project Type: Large-scale mixed-use development combining data center operations, commercial facilities, and supporting infrastructure

Wastewater Profile:

• Design flow: 1,000,000 gallons per day (1.0 MGD)
• Waste streams: Domestic wastewater, data center cooling systems, equipment cleaning, humidification processes, truck washout, stormwater runoff

Reuse Strategy:

• On-site irrigation for extensive campus landscaping and common areas
• Fire protection for data center and commercial buildings (self-contained on-site reuse)

Challenge Overcome: Williamson County denied the septic permit due to concerns about industrial wastewater constituents and site-specific geological limitations. Traditional on-site disposal was not viable, and a discharge permit would have faced lengthy review and potential opposition. The 210E pathway provided a clean industrial reclaimed water solution in 6 weeks, allowing the facility to commence operations on schedule. The self-contained on-site reuse eliminates any off-site discharge concerns and provides complete operational control.

Location: Taylor, Williamson County, Texas
Authorization Number: 2E-0000358
Time to Permit: 6 weeks
Time Saved vs. Discharge Permit: ~22 months
Project Type: Industrial-only facility with process wastewater and equipment cleaning operations

Wastewater Profile:

• Design flow: 5,000 gallons per day
• Waste streams: Domestic wastewater, process wastewater, industrial washwater

Reuse Strategy:

• On-site landscape irrigation
• Fire protection system (self-contained on-site reuse)