Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Dripping Springs Mayor Todd Purcell on Monday convened what Adler called “a pretty unique regional meeting of leaders to address the common challenge of growth and water and wastewater issues – potentially in a way that the whole region can get behind.” He told the Austin Monitor, “It was exciting […]
Water
Posted inResources, Water
Judges propose rollback in water rate case
A pair of administrative law judges appears to have dealt a major blow to the city of Austin in an ongoing water and wastewater rate case brought by a group of wholesale customers in 2013. The judges, Pratibha Shenoy and Beth Bierman, filed a proposal for decision to the Texas Public Utility Commission on July […]
Posted inResources, Water
Conservation district passes new guidelines
The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Board of Directors unanimously passed updated rules and bylaws governing 170 square miles of freshly annexed territory primarily in Hays County. The move came over objections from an attorney with Houston-based water supplier Electro Purification. “If you look at the rules, there are a number of places where you […]
Posted inWater
Conservation district releases draft rules
Staff with the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District recently released new rules to govern 170 square miles of unregulated territory. Residents will have a chance to weigh in on them July 16. For the next several months, conversations discussing House Bill 3405 implementation will dominate BSEACD board meetings. The bill, which became law June 16, immediately placed […]
Posted inMonitor News & Media, Radio, Resources, Water
Austin Monitor Radio: Groundwater with BSEACD’s John Dupnik
Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District General Manager John Dupnik joins Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to talk groundwater, groundwater policy, and much more. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/213489751″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inWater
TCEQ upholds lake release limits
Despite recent wet weather, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality affirmed an emergency order Wednesday that extends limits on downstream releases from lakes Travis and Buchanan. The move comes in response to a request from the Lower Colorado River Authority and essentially cuts off water from the lakes to rice farmers and interests in the […]
Posted inWater
Austin involved in two battles over water rates
The Austin Water Utility is engaged in two different battles over water rates. One fight is with wholesale water and wastewater customers who have challenged rates adopted by City Council in 2013. According to AWU Assistant Director David Anders, this case, which is pending before administrative law judges on its way to the Public Utility […]
Posted inWater
Central Texas not drought-free yet
Staff with the Lower Colorado River Authority may have breathed a sigh of relief after May’s record-breaking rainfalls, but they’re not considering the area drought-free just yet. At the LCRA meeting Wednesday, experts provided an overview of possible weather expectations for the next few months, repeatedly stressing that most modeling systems show Texas’ odd pattern of greater-than-average rainfall […]
Posted inWater
Council to consider settling with WTP 4 contractors
After years of public discussion and argument, the city built Water Treatment Plant 4 and it began operating six months ago with little fanfare. There is just one piece of business remaining for completion of the plant and its financing. City Council will consider today whether to settle a claim with the construction manager at […]
Posted inLocal Government, Water
Conservation District preps for annexation
With two major bills pending in Texas’ legislative session, officials with the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District discussed a potentially rushed timeline at their regular meeting Thursday. In March, legislators put forward House Bill 3405 and Senate Bill 1440 to address Houston-based water supplier Electro Purification’s plans to pump 5 million gallons of water per […]
Posted inDevelopment, Transportation, Water
Shoal Creek Conservancy partners with city
The Shoal Creek Conservancy announced Tuesday that it has signed a collaborative agreement with the city. The agreement comes out of a May 2014 City Council resolution that directed the city manager to explore a public-private partnership in order to create a plan for the area. Under the agreement, the conservancy will be working with […]
Posted inResources, Water
New water tap rule causes cost, consternation
In the midst of what almost everyone agrees is a housing affordability crisis in Austin, planners and residential contractors have discovered a new rule that significantly increases the cost of retrofitting garages into apartments and building new granny flats. Longtime Austin architect Girard Kinney said that the Austin Water Utility’s decision to require that new […]