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BE OUTSIDE TODAY, BUT[Press conference: "Northeast Water Purification Plant Ribbon Cutting"]
I'LL TELL YOU, IT IS A GORGEOUS, BEAUTIFUL DAY THIS MORNING OUT HERE TO CELEBRATE AN AMAZING FEAT.I'M CAROL HADDOCK, UH, DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TO CELEBRATE THIS INCREDIBLE PROJECT.
THE NORTHEAST WATER PURIFICATION PLANT EXPANSION IS AN APPROXIMATELY $1.8 BILLION PROJECT THAT WILL EXPAND THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S EXISTING 80 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY WATER TREATMENT PLANT CAPACITY TO 320 MILLION GALLONS TREATED PER DAY.
THIS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE WITHOUT OUR PARTNERS.
THE CITY PARTNERED WITH FOUR REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITIES, NORTH HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, WEST HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, NORTH FORT BEND WATER AUTHORITY, AND CENTRAL HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY TO SHARE IN THE COST AND CAPACITY OF THIS PROJECT.
THE IN CAPACITY WILL ALLOW THE CITY AND ITS FOUR PARTNER WATER AUTHORITIES TO PROVIDE WATER TO SUPPORT THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA'S POPULATION GROWTH, WHILE ALSO COMPLYING WITH THE REGIONAL SURFACE WATER CONVERSION MANDATES BY INCREASING THE CITY'S CAPACITY TO TREAT SURFACE WATER AND REDUCING OUR DEPENDENCE ON GROUNDWATER.
THIS PROJECT IS HELPING TO MITIGATE THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH GROUND SUBSIDENCE, SUCH AS INCREASED FLOODING, DAMAGE TO OUR ROADS AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES.
THIS PROJECT WILL SERVE RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, NORTH HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, WEST HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, NORTH FORT BEND REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, AND CENTRAL HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY SERVICE AREAS.
SO WHERE ARE WE TODAY? PHASE ONE OF THE PROJECT, WHICH ENCOMPASSES THE FIRST 80 MILLION GALLONS PER TREATMENT TRAIN, IS NEARING COMPLETION.
I WANT TO THANK AGAIN AND MENTION THE KEY PARTICIPANTS AND PARTNERS FOR THIS PROJECT.
THEY ARE OUR MONEY SOURCE, THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD.
OH YEAH, LET'S CLAP FOR THAT BECAUSE NOT ONLY DID THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, UH, BRING FUNDING TO SUPPORT THIS, UH, THEY CONTINUE TO BE FUNDING PARTNERS FOR ALL THE CITY AND ALL OF OUR AUTHORITIES AS WE CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT OTHER PROJECTS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE AREA.
CITY OF HOUSTON, NORTH HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY.
OH, I'M, I'M GONNA PAUSE 'CAUSE APPARENTLY WE WANNA CLAP.
NORTH HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, WEST HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, NORTH FORT BEND WATER AUTHORITY, CENTRAL HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY.
AND I'M GONNA, I'VE GOT A WHOLE LONG LIST HERE, SO I'M GONNA KEEP GOING BECAUSE WE ALSO, IN ADDITION TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR AND WILL OWN PORTIONS OF THE PROJECT, WE HAD SIGNIFICANT PERMITTING, COOPERATION, COORDINATION OF, UH, WITH MANY OTHER PARTNERS IN THIS MAKING THIS HAPPEN.
WE HAVE THE HARRIS GALVESTON SUBSIDENCE DISTRICT, THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, HARRIS COUNTY, AND ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVORITES, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, UH, INCLUDING OUR DRINKING WATER OPERATIONS AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND DEFINITELY NOT TO BE LEFT OUT.
UH, THE HOUSTON WATERWORKS TEAM, WHO IS OUR DESIGN BUILDER FOR THIS PROJECT, AND THE COUNTLESS SUBCONTRACTORS AND CONSULTANTS THAT SUPPORTED THEM, AS WELL AS COROLLO ENGINEERS WHO WAS OUR PROJECT ADVISOR AND TECHNICAL CONSULTANT.
THERE WERE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT WORKED ON THIS PROJECT BRINGING US TO THIS POINT TODAY.
AND IT'S EVERYBODY'S EFFORT THAT MADE THAT POSSIBLE AND I PERSONALLY EXTEND A THANK YOU TO EACH ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT.
AND NOW IT IS MY PLEASURE, UH, TO BRING TO THE STAGE, UH, THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND WHILE HE COMES UP, I WILL, UM, UM, PERSONALLY SAY THAT HE HAS BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN THIS PROJECT FROM THE DAY HE TOOK OFFICE.
UM, AND, AND MAYOR, WE'RE GONNA BE HANDING OUT SOME OF THESE, UH, NICE THANK YOUS, UH, BEFORE YOU GET INTO YOUR COMMENTS.
UM, BUT HE HAS BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN THIS PROJECT FROM DAY ONE.
HE'S BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN THE CHOICES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE IN INCREASE THE RESILIENCE AND THE SUSTAINABILITY, UM, OF THE DRINKING WATER SUPPLY AND THE DRINKING WATER DELIVERY, UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
AND THIS, UH, LIVES UP TO HIS EXPECTATIONS AND IT CERTAINLY MAKES, UH, MAKES
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US AND THE REGION, UH, BETTER FOR THE NEXT DECADES TO COME AS THESE, THESE PROCESSES COME ONLINE AND THE WATER BECOMES AVAILABLE TO SERVE THIS LARGER, GREATER HOUSTON AREA.SO MAYOR TURNER, THANK, AND THEY TOLD ME WE HAD TO COME OVER HERE BECAUSE THEY WANT THE, UH, THE BUILDING IN THE BACKGROUND.
ALRIGHT, PAT, TELL ME IF WE'RE IN THE RIGHT SPOT.
ARE WE OFF THE SIDE OF THE STAGE OR ARE WE RIGHT IN? RIGHT HERE.
AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO INVITE UP THE PARTNERS THAT HELPED US WITH THIS AND MAYOR TURNER IS GONNA HELP, UH, UM, PASS OUT OUR THANK YOUS.
FIRST THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD.
NEXT WE HAVE THE NORTH HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY.
OKAY, SO WE'RE GOING THIS WAY FIRST, AND THEN THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
NEXT WE HAVE THE WEST HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY.
UH, NORTH FORT BEND WATER AUTHORITY.
THE CENTRAL HARRIS COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY.
AND NEXT WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE PRIVILEGE OF, UH, RECOGNIZING ONE OF OUR OWN EMPLOYEES.
UH, RAVI CALL, UH, RAVI HAS BEEN THE ONSITE, UM, CITY REPRESENTATIVE.
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CAN YOU GO OFF HAND? YEAH, YEAH.UH, OF COURSE YOU ALL KNOW CAROL HAD IT.
SO SHE'S THE NEXT AWARD RECIPIENT ON BEHALF OF EASTERN PUBLIC LAW.
I WANNA THANK EVERYBODY AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE, UH, RECOGNITION THAT WE PROVIDED TO EVERYBODY TODAY.
UM, AND WITH THAT, IT IS MY PLEASURE TO ASK THE MAYOR TO MAKE A FEW REMARKS ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE PROJECT MAYOR TURNER.
WELL, FIRST, LET'S GIVE IT UP TO EVERYONE THAT RECEIVED THE AWARDS THIS MORNING.
WELCOME TO THE NORTHEAST WATER PURIFICATION PLAN EXPANSION PROJECT RIBBON CUTTING.
UH, I WANT TO START OFF BY SAYING THIS IS A RESULT OF OVER 1500, UH, WORKERS PULLING TOGETHER TO EXPAND THE EXISTING NORTHEAST WATER PURIFICATION PLANT, WHICH, UH, GENERATED UP TO 80 MILLION GALLONS OF DRINKING WATER A DAY TO A NEWLY EXPANDED PLANT THAT WILL SOON BE ABLE TO GENERATE UP TO 400 MILLION GALLONS OF PUR DELICIOUS DRINKING WATER A DAY.
THE WATER ORIGINALLY COMES FROM RAIN FLOWING INTO THE TRINITY RIVER IN EAST TEXAS THROUGH A SYSTEM INCLUDING LOOSE BAYOU.
THE WATER ULTIMATELY ENDS UP IN LAKE HOUSTON, AND HERE THE WATER IS DRAWN FROM THE LAKE BY NEW INTAKE PUMP STATION ONE AND ONE HALF MILES EAST OF HERE.
THROUGH THE NEWLY INSTALLED PIPELINE TO THIS PLANT, AND THROUGH THE USE OF THE MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED METHODS, IT IS PURIFIED AND TRANSFORMED INTO DELICIOUS DRINKING WATER AND SUPPLIED TO PARTS OF HARRIS COUNTY, FORT BEND COUNTY, AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
THIS IS ALL DUE TO THE FORWARD THINKING OF OUR FOREFATHERS LONG AGO WHO ANTICIPATED THE GROWTH OF OUR REGION AND DEVELOPED A WAY TO SUPPLY OUR DRINKING WATER NEEDS.
AND THANKS TO THEM AND TO THIS NEWLY EXPANDED PLANT, WE WILL BE ABLE TO RELY LESS ON PUMPING WATER OUT OF THE GROUND AND MORE ON SURFACE WATER.
AS A RESULT, WE WILL EXPERIENCE LESS SUBSIDENCE AND LESS FLOODING.
THE OPENING OF THIS EXPANDED PLANT IS A HUGE BENEFIT TO THOSE WHO LIVE AND WORK IN HOUSTON AND THE SURROUNDING AREA.
IN SIMPLE TERMS, IT IS A BIG DEAL.
EIGHT YEARS AGO, THE CITY OF HOUSTON JOINED WITH FOUR REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITIES TO INVEST OVER 1.7, $1.8 BILLION TO BUILD WHAT WOULD BECOME THE LARGEST.
AND I WANT TO UNDERSCORE THE LARGEST PUBLIC WORKS WATER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN THE NATION AND PROBABLY EVEN IN THE WORLD.
I THINK CERTAINLY AS A DESIGN BUILD CONSTRUCTION PROJECT DEALING WITH WATER, I THINK IT IS THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD.
UH, CERTAINLY THE LARGEST IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND AS WE SAY IN TEXAS AND IN HOUSTON, YOU EITHER GO BIG OR YOU GO HOME.
AND, UM, WE CERTAINLY HAVE GONE BIG AS THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
I CERTAINLY WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, MY COLLEAGUES WHO WE'VE WORKED VERY CLOSE, WHO I'VE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH OVER THE LAST FOUR AND SOMETIMES EIGHT YEARS.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVE MARTIN, THE MAYOR, PRO TIM, AND COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN AT LARGE.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON, IF YOU'LL GIVE IT UP TO, TO MY PARTNERS, REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
AND AS MAYOR, I'M PROUD TO HAVE PARTNERED WITH THE NORTH HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, THE WEST HARRIS COUNTY REGIONAL
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WATER AUTHORITY, THE NORTH OF OF FORT BEND WATER AUTHORITY, AND THE, THE CENTRAL HARRIS COUNTY REGION REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY, ALONG WITH THE HELP OF THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD TO MEET THE WATER NEEDS OF OUR AREA FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.REPRESENTATIVES OF EACH OF THESE AUTHORITIES, AS YOU HAVE SEEN OR HERE WITH US TODAY, AND AGAIN, I KNOW YOU'VE APPLAUDED THEM ALREADY, BUT, UH, LOOK, YOU CAN NEVER, UH, GIVE ENOUGH THANK YOUS TO PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING A GENERATIONAL INVESTMENT THAT WILL BENEFIT THIS REGION FOR YEARS AND DECADES TO COME.
MANY OF THE WORKERS WHO ARE DESIGNING, PLANNING, AND CONSTRUCTING THIS PLANT ARE HERE TODAY.
I WANT TO GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO THE WORKERS WHO ARE MAKING THIS HISTORIC PROJECT A REALITY WHILE WORKING TO OVERCOME HURDLES ALONG THE WAY.
UH, AND IF YOU WILL, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE ALL 1500 WORKERS HERE TODAY, WE DO HAVE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE WORKFORCE WHO ARE HERE TODAY.
WILL YOU GIVE IT UP TO THOSE 1500 WORKERS WORKING ON THIS PROJECT? THE REALITY IS YOU CAN DO IT WITHOUT THE WORKERS.
AND SO THEY ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE, APPRECIATED.
THIS PLANT BEFORE YOU IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED.
WHEN COMMUNITIES COME TOGETHER AND GOVERNMENTAL BODIES COOPERATE WITH ONE ANOTHER.
ALL FOR THE GREATER GOOD WATER IS ESSENTIAL TO LIFE.
AND THERE ARE MANY AREAS ON THE PLANET WHO DO NOT EVEN HAVE CLEAN DRINKING WATER.
THIS PLANT, THIS PLANT AND WHAT IT WILL PROVIDE FOR YEARS TO COME IS A GIFT TO FUTURE GENERATIONS.
THIS IS THE CONTINUATION OF A PROMISE MADE BY OUR FOREFATHERS.
THIS IS A PROMISE HONORED BY YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITIES, AND THIS IS OUR PROMISE TO THE FUTURE, TO A WORLD THAT MANY OF US MAY NEVER SEE OUR DRINKING WATER NEEDS WILL BE MET IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
IT IS AN HONOR TO JOIN THIS TEAM ALONG WITH MAYOR PRO TEM DAVE MARTIN, WHOSE COUNCIL DISTRICT INCLUDES THE PLANT TO CUT THE RIBBON TODAY ON THIS HISTORIC PROJECT AND TO RENEW OUR REGIONAL COMMITMENT TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE AS WELL AS PURE DELICIOUS DRINKING WATER FOR OUR AREA.
THIS IS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT, NOT JUST FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
THIS IS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR OUR REGION AND THIS IS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER.
QUITE FRANKLY, THERE IS NOTHING, NOTHING WE CANNOT DO.
AND I'M HONORED TO PLEASE, UH, IN MY FINAL WEEKS AS MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, TO TELL YOU HOW PROUD I AM, NOT ONLY OF THE CITY, BUT OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS AND OUR COLLABORATION WITH THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD.
AND I BELIEVE THE BEST FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND OUR REGION HAS YET TO COME.
CONGRATULATIONS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.
AND NOW I THINK IT'S TIME TO CUT THE RIBBON.