Water and Wastewater Treatment for Build-to-Rent Communities

Accelerate Development With Key Infrastructure Delivery

Home prices keep climbing but many Americans, particularly millennials, are ready to start families now. In different times they might be buying a first home, but with little savings, they are postponing the dream of homeownership and looking for a rental where they can start living the good life.
 

Much like the boom in master-planned communities, many advantages have fueled a rise in build-to-rent (BTR) communities. Under the BTR model, a group of cottage-style homes, townhomes, or detached single-family homes is built specifically for the rental market, but the build-to-rent space often offers a better experience than renting an existing home.
 

With the best of single-family rentals inside professionally managed communities, BTRs offer ample amenities without homeowner’s association costs and headaches. Green spaces, trails, dog parks, swimming pools, clubhouses, and gated access all give low-density BTR neighborhoods a well-rounded, secure, relaxed feel for mostly young families, empty nesters, and people in transition.
 

Water Scarcity and Infrastructure Can Slow Development

The BTR movement has taken the nation by storm, especially in the East and South, as BTRs have blossomed in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. In Phoenix, the most mature market for BTRs, oversupply has never been an issue, and leasing trends remain h3. Although the pace of construction is hot, a capital crunch is expected to suppress new BTR unit deliveries by 2026 and lead to significant pent-up demand and opportunity for growth.
 

In many regions, scant water resources and infrastructure can limit or slow BTR development. Water-related issues can present problems, particularly in regions subject to drought and high water costs, areas governed by tight environmental regulations, and areas with scant infrastructure in place. That characterizes many of the high-growth areas in Texas. How can BTR developers get the efficient, sustainable water management they need to build where and when they choose, in Texas and beyond?
 

The Importance of Water and Wastewater to BTR Communities

The first cities on Earth formed between two rivers, and since then an ample, clean, water supply has helped direct human settlement. So, it makes sense for BTR communities to secure and protect their water supply from the start.
 

BTR community residents want to count on the safety, purity, and aesthetic qualities of their water for drinking and cooking, but keeping water free of contaminants, pathogens, and pollutants requires the right water treatment processes. Traditional multimedia filtration may be adequate for some water sources, but advanced membrane processes such as ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis may be required.
 

Improperly treated wastewater can threaten the water resources that communities and the surrounding environment depend on. Wastewater management is a must.
 

While a convenient solution is connecting to nearby municipal or regional infrastructure for drinking water and sewer service, utilities have struggled to keep up with the pace of growth, leaving developers to search for sites nearer to infrastructure. Many BTR developers, however, have taken a more independent route by establishing decentralized treatment systems on-site.
 

Decentralized Systems Have Advantages

Decentralized systems might only provide drinking water or treat wastewater, but they can provide other water services. An on-site full water cycle solution, one that treats the drinking water that enters the community, treats the wastewater that exits, and safely reuses as much of the wastewater as possible, can give a BTR community unmatched sustainability and water independence. It makes the most of all available water and improves resilience to climate shocks.
 

Reusing highly treated, recycled wastewater for lawn watering, greenspace irrigation, street cleaning, and even toilet flushing dramatically reduces the amount of drinking water that must be pumped. Leaving more water in the ground means there will be more water available when drought descends.
 

One wastewater treatment process, the membrane bioreactor (MBR), fits ideally in a full water cycle solution at a BTR community, meeting virtually any discharge or nonpotable reuse standard in the world. It also offers unique benefits for Texas BTR communities. The MBR combines advanced membrane filtration and biological treatment with little noise or odor, so treatment may take place unobtrusively only 150 feet away from rentals.
 

Generally, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality also waves through MBR projects in only five months, whereas traditional projects might require 12 to 18 months for approval.
 

Modular equipment, both conventional and MBR, also expedites installation to keep up with rental markets and allows developers to receive any governmental incentives offered.
 

Clean Water Improves the Resident Experience

Low water quality can damage pipes in rentals with corrosive compounds, so proper water treatment can protect the investment in units and profits from rentals.
 

Unpleasant or inconvenient water can also repel renters. Treatment can remove iron and manganese, so there are no stains on fixtures, appliances, or especially on laundry. Even though water with excessive iron might be safe to drink, it makes the look and smell of water off-putting for prospective renters. Crystal-clear water enhances quality of life in tangible and intangible ways, attracting renters and commanding profitable rents.
 

A BTR community may also attract investment more readily by improving its ESG profile with practices like sustainable water management that will also contribute to a positive feeling among environmentally savvy residents.
 

Growing regulatory challenges force water management to keep up with a constantly shifting framework. Consulting the experts to design and commission robust water treatment maintains community compliance and reputation, but compliance requires sustained commitment and trained water personnel. To avoid that hassle, many master-planned communities prefer build-own-operate financing agreements that let AUC Group handle all operations and maintenance.
 

And AUC water plant leases are a Texas favorite, delivering safe, reliable water to build-to-rent communities. Find out why Houston-based AUC has been the go-to team for developers in the region since the 1970s. Contact AUC before you hit the roadblocks that slow down the competition and get your units on the market quickly.