The city of Hutto broke ground on an expansion of the South Wastewater Treatment Plant Tuesday — a project needed to address the increased demand and accommodate future population growth in the booming suburb in Williamson County north of Austin.

“We’re taking another massive step forward in ensuring that the infrastructure supporting our community continues to operate seamlessly behind the scenes,” Hutto City Manager James Earp said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The expansion is part of the city’s capital improvement plans and will increase the plant’s capacity from 2.5 million gallons per day to 6 million gallons per day.

The plant will be able to treat wastewater to make it suitable for irrigation and fire protection, reducing the city’s use of potable water for those needs, city officials said.

The $180 million project is expected to be completed by the end of December 2026.