The Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant and Bird Observatory is located on a 1200-acre site that stretches along 3.5 miles of the Colorado River, approximately eight miles east of downtown Austin. The plant has grown into a nationally recognized and award winning biosolids recycling facility.
The plant was also previously the recipient of a first-place award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its recycling program. The plant was established in the 1950’s and uses a series of stabilization ponds to treat wastewater sludge from the City of Austin’s wastewater plants. The treated sludge is recycled into a stable organic product marketed under the trade name "Dillo Dirt™" that can be used safely as a fertilizer for City park facilities and sold to the general public as an EPA-certified soil conditioner.