82R24070 RYA-D
By: Menendez H.R. No. 1613
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The San Antonio Water System has been named the
winner of a 2011 Texas Environmental Excellence Award in the
innovative operations/management category; and
WHEREAS, Each spring the Texas Environmental Excellence
Awards are presented to individuals, communities, organizations,
and businesses that have created successful programs to preserve
and protect the environment of the Lone Star State; nominated by a
blue ribbon committee and selected by the Office of the Governor and
the commissioners of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality,
the award winners have made outstanding contributions to the effort
to prevent pollution, reduce waste, and conserve natural resources;
and
WHEREAS, The San Antonio Water System was recognized for its
Wastewater Trifecta, a project to develop environmentally
beneficial uses for the water, biosolids, and waste gas that are the
major by-products of the city's wastewater treatment process; as
part of the project, SAWS developed the largest direct recycled
water delivery system in the nation--a network of more than 110
miles of pipeline that delivers treated, recycled water for
commercial and industrial use; the high-quality water is also used
to help restore streams and aquatic ecosystems in the city; and
WHEREAS, The second part of the Trifecta involves turning the
organic matter produced at wastewater treatment plants into compost
that is used by landscapers and gardeners to improve soil quality;
in 2009, 98 percent of the organic material produced was recycled as
compost; SAWS has also succeeded in recycling the methane gas that
is generated from the biosolids; once simply burned off into the
atmosphere, the gas is now refined in such a way that it becomes
chemically identical to natural gas, and it is then transferred to a
commercial pipeline for distribution as fuel for heating and
cooking; and
WHEREAS, In addition to establishing the Wastewater
Trifecta, SAWS has created numerous other programs and community
outreach campaigns to promote water conservation, and the
cumulative effect of its efforts has been to lower the amount of
water used in the city each day; less water use has meant reduced
water pumping, which has helped to protect the Edwards Aquifer and
to preserve habitats for endangered species; and
WHEREAS, By developing conservation initiatives such as the
Wastewater Trifecta, the San Antonio Water System has demonstrated
that it is a good steward of its water resources, and it is indeed
deserving of this prestigious honor; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate the San Antonio Water System on
receiving a Texas Environmental Excellence Award and extend to all
those associated with the organization sincere best wishes for
continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for SAWS as an expression of high regard by the Texas House
of Representatives.