Cooling towers at the Health Science Center have the ability to process up to 50,000 gallons of water per minute to cool buildings.
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Eighty-five million gallons of drinking water will be saved each year thanks to the Health Science Center’s decision to install a recycled water line that will be used as part of the irrigation system on central campus, and in cooling towers at the central and north campuses.

Darrell Maatsch, director of facilities management, said the water line will be connected to the San Antonio Water System’s (SAWS) recycled water line that was installed two years ago on Floyd Curl. It will run underground from the corner of Louis Pasteur and Floyd Curl to cooling towers at the central energy plant. The cooling towers have the ability to process up to 50,000 gallons of water per minute.

The use of recycled water will save the Health Science Center approximately $131,000 per year and the installation process is paid for by SAWS.

“Since SAWS is trying to promote the use of recycled water, they are paying for the $275,000 project,” Maatsch said. “We’ll be able to save water and money, and we won’t have the water restrictions that apply to Edwards Aquifer water. This will be very efficient for the Health Science Center community.”

The contractor has begun the installation process at the corner of Louis Pasteur and Floyd Curl.

The contractor has begun the project at the corner of Louis Pasteur and Floyd Curl. Maatsch said the construction process should not cause an inconvenience for Health Science Center faculty, staff or students. Perimeter Drive, in front of Dental Drive, will be affected during the installation process, but a traffic interruption is not expected.

“Since Perimeter Drive is one of the high-traffic areas on campus, we will make sure that it always has one traffic lane open,” Maatsch said.

The installation process is not expected to last more than 160 days. Maatsch said he is pleased with the decision to save the city’s drinking water. Purple sprinkler heads at the Health Science Center serve as a warning that the water from them is not drinkable.

“San Antonio has a tendency to suffer from a lack of water,” he said. “The Health Science Center is playing its part in conserving water and money, and promoting a good community environment.”