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Robb Starr – District Manager, Lumberton Municipal Utility District

We are in Southeast Texas. We are very close to the Louisiana border, very close to the coast. So, we're in, geographically, we're on the right side of Texas. A lot of pine trees, a lot of, a lot of rain. We deal with a lot of rain every year. But more importantly, this is a really one of the best places, I think, to raise your family.

I oversee the District, which is a community of about 35,000. I've been here, like I said, 38 years. The last five years, I've served as the manager. I grew up here, so I started here before I ever graduated high school. So, I've been here a long time. The growth has really hit this area, and the area has exploded mainly because the area's fairly safe. It's a really safe area. And the school districts—a lot of people try to get here just to go to the schools, especially people moving from out of state. They talk to other people, and they say, you know, “Move to Lumberton. That's where you need to be.” So, that part is great.

The growth, however, has caused, you know, infrastructure, things that we're having to make improvements on infrastructure and make larger and bigger, and the wastewater plant is one of those. Back in the ‘90s, wastewater plants were built to a little different standard. Wastewater characteristics have changed over the last decade and a half or so. We were at a point where, okay, we really have to do something and do something now.

So, as soon as I kind of took the helm, that was my first thing—was we knew that the plant was going to need upgrading, and we're 29 years into a plant that was really built for capacity for 20 years.

Tim Aschoff – Sr. Project Manager, LJA Engineering, Inc. 

The plant got modified. It can't be modified anymore. It is struggling. We need more capacity. We need to treat the water to a higher degree. And they don't have any redundancy out here. This plant behind me is a single-train plant. So when a piece of equipment breaks, they have a problem. The new plant's going to have two trains. So, if something breaks, the operator has flexibility to use the other train, adapt, keep treating. So, this plant's got a lot of benefits—more capacity, it'll treat the water better, and they have operator redundancy.

Robb Starr – District Manager, Lumberton Municipal Utility District

It's really difficult to engineer a plant when it's...you’re trying to keep everything that...existing running. I say, you know, it's like trying to build a ship while it's moving through the ocean. You have to build these new components and build them around the components that are existing and keep everything running. Because we can't just, you know, say, “Hey, sorry, you can't have sewer for this week.”

The project itself is going to take about three years to build. This is a $74 million project. The Water Development Board will fund up to $44 million. Water Development Board rates are under the market rate, and it saves our citizens money. I pay a water bill just like everybody else. It's just us being good stewards of the citizens’ money.

Paul Jungen, P.E., CFM – Project Engineer, Texas Water Development Board

The new plant will increase capacity to 6 million gallons per day, ensuring the public safety and good environmental stewardship of the surrounding community. I grew up just down the road. I've always liked Lumberton. I've always considered it a rival playing high school football. But I do like seeing the small communities thrive, these family-oriented communities. I do find a sense of pride working for the Texas Water Development Board.

Robb Starr – District Manager, Lumberton Municipal Utility District

Our job is to basically protect health, the human health, and protect the environment with water on the front side of consuming and then treating it before it goes back out into the public rivers and streams. The community means a whole lot to me. Nothing is more rewarding to me than being able to help the citizens in the town that kind of help raise me.