That $70 million dollar bond issue, which includes $40 million for Cypress Ditch and $30 million for the Bellaire Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), has raised some concerns.
Many voters were unaware that Prop B, the $30 million dollar portion of the bond proposals, was essentially to fund the demolition of the WWTP and to move Bellaire’s wastewater treatment to the City of Houston plant. A City of Houston rate calculator can be found at the end or this article, readers will find the COH costs higher than those for Bellaire. And the City of Bellaire would remain responsible for all repairs, maintenance, and replacement costs of COB equipment, lift stations, and sewer lines.
Compared to recent construction costs for plants in other cities it appears the repairs and improvements provided by HDR Engineering for the Bellaire WWTP are much higher, for a small plant. Why not use that $30M to repair or rebuild the Bellaire plant?
Conroe recently built a large new WWTP at a final cost of $73 million dollars, including a land purchase. “It’s a 12 million-gallons-per-day-complete-mix-sludge plant,” said Greg Hall, Jr. superintendent of the wastewater treatment plant. Conroe supplied a great deal of information on a DVD, and I have attached a page with the overall cost.
Here is an online article on the plant: https://www.wwdmag.com/top-projects/video/33014753/the-largest-capital-project-in-conroe-texas-history
Galveston is replacing a WWTP for the Pirates Beach area between 11 Mile Road and 13 Mile Road, with a contract for $23 million. Find the information on that WWTP below. The Scheduled completion date for this project is 07/28/2025. The Contract Amount for this project is $22,797,120.. Since the construction is not complete a final cost has not been provided. Find current City of Galveston information here.
No actual costs to rebuild, rehabilitate, or demolish the Bellaire WWTP were provided by the City of Bellaire, only various estimates. But none of these generalized amounts are based on our WWTP. And they may vary by -35% to +66% of the cost!!! The Operations Evaluation mentions lack of preventive maintenance and not enough personnel. The Resiliency report notes the problems with subsidence. Portions of the plant could be elevated. According to the Process Capacity Analysis the Bellaire WWTP is currently permitted for an annual average daily flow (ADF) of 4.5 million gallons per day (mgd) and a peak two-hour (P2H) effluent flow of 11.5 mgd. It could be smaller. The TCEQ concerns are about the odor, which has been addressed. Find the full response to my request here.
The estimate to renovate Bellaire’s small plant is now $71 million, almost triple the May 2024 estimate. Find the original HDR report from May 2024 with cost estimates here.Find the March 2025 report here. To build new is $100 million or more. But no list of costs has been provided to accommodate those numbers. The city of West University Place has chosen to handle a $31M upgrade for their WWTP in stages.
One of the main reasons buyers purchase a home in Bellaire is because they prefer a small town that is not part of Houston. The City could apply that $30M in bond funds to repair and upgrade our WWTP, allowing residents to remain independent of the COH and future rates.
Is it possible that whether the old plant could be elevated and rebuilt or a new WWTP is built, the City may not be able to afford to maintain the plant and pay for additional personnel to run it properly?
Shouldn’t it be up to the Bellaire residents to decide the future of their City, and to expect some transparency on these matters, especially when more debt is involved?
Speak in person or send comments to the Mayor and City Council via our City Clerk, Tracy Dutton, at tdutton@bellairetx.gov
Find more information on the $70M bond issue here.
Our COB cost for October, 8900 gallons of water ($49.97)+sewer ($37.04), was $87.01. Add the garbage, new drainage fee, and Sales
Tax and we paid $125.16 for all services. (Updated 11/12/24)
The COH cost for 8000 gallons water ($78.01)+sewer ($105.01) is $183.02. Plus miscellaneous charges, the total bill was $191.40 for the same period.
In addition, Bellaire residents would be dependent on Houston for wastewater treatment but would still be responsible for maintenance and replacement costs for the City lift stations, sewer lines, and possibly future costs for the Houston plant. Use this City of Houston calculator to see the water and wastewater COH rates: https://www.houstonwaterbills.houstontx.gov/ProdDP/CalculateConsumptionrate/
Construction on the new Bellaire High school is complete. The original building was demolished during the week of July 13-17, 2021. 
FEMA imposes requirements for new structures and limits on existing structures in flood zones. Check with Development Services for more information,