Harris County is building its first ‘net zero’ facility
Construction has begun on the first self-sustaining facility in Harris County.
The 470-square foot restroom at Precinct 4’s Carter Park, 7221 Treaschwig Road in Spring, was designed as a “net-zero” building — meaning it will create all of the energy it requires to function.
The facility will rely on solar panels, a rain harvesting system and on-site wastewater treatment, said county engineer John Blount.
He said the county recognized a need for this type of structure years ago.
“We have a lot of parks where we want restroom facilities, but we can’t build them, because it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring electricity and water to them,” he said.
Finding a solution was a challenge, but Blount had just the team available for the job.
Every year, the county’s engineering department hosts a sum-
mer intern program for junior and senior college students majoring in architecture or engineering.
“Some interns just file paperwork,” he said. “Not here. Our interns work on real projects. Last year, one of their projects was to design a net zero building for where there is no available water, sewer or electricity.”
Blount said the interns rose to the occasion. “I was very proud of them,” he said. “They did a great job. They did all of the analysis, calculations and solar panel and mechanical equipment design. I was impressed.”
Senior engineers reviewed the project and crews got to work. Recent rains have caused a slowdown, but progress is being made, Blount said.
“We had hoped to be done in a couple of months, but it’s been delayed,” he said. “Now we hope to have it operational in four or five months.”
Blount said that Carter Park was selected because water and electricity are available on the site. “So this could run, even if something breaks or doesn’t work,” he said. “Also, we’ll be able to monitor everything.”
Digital controls will allow staff to remotely check the quality of the structure. Once the data is collected, the facility may become the first of many built for remote areas of the precinct.
“This facility will serve as a model or a prototype for all of these rural parks,” Blount said.
He added that the project will benefit the natural environment as well as county taxpayers.
“It’s good for several reasons,” he said. “It saves a significant amount of money. We’re also interested in sustainability.”
Not only will the net zero facility alleviate the need to connect to water, sewage and the electrical grid, but it will also eliminate the cost of power and water when it is up and running.
“We don’t look at just initial costs; we look at the costs for the life cycle,” he said. “We’re thinking outside the box — but we’re also thinking long-term. We want to make good financial decisions today that will benefit people in the future.”
Blount said that a new group of interns will start soon. This year’s project will involve developing inlets that clean water before it runs into storm drains.
“We want to be ahead of the curve,” he said. “We want to know what works and what doesn’t.”
In the meantime, Precinct 4 Commissioner R. Jack Cagle is looking forward to seeing the net zero facility open in Carter Park.
“So much of our parks and trails systems are literally off the beaten path,” he said. “A net zero facility allows us to add infrastructure that doesn’t have to be tied to the grid. We can add this restroom without the expense and time of additional electric and water lines to a remote location.”
Cagle believes that sustainable facilities will become increasingly important.
“I’m excited that we can be a leader in Precinct 4,” he said. “This is a great opportunity on a small scale to allow Harris County to step into the future.”