Residents in Hays County and a southwestern portion of Travis County hope the possibility of a civil case against a California development company will stop plans to construct a 5,000-seat concert venue on a two-lane country road near Dripping Springs. Traffic concerns are important for the Fitzhugh Neighbors group that has formed to fight the […]
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
environmental regulating authority for the State of Texas.
Posted inWater
Permit for controversial private dam on South Llano River withdrawn
A Houston-based landowner has withdrawn his request for a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality permit that would’ve paved the way for a private dam on the South Llano River. The TCEQ permit database shows that the application from Waterstone Creek LLC is now closed. The application was withdrawn on Oct. 20. The application for a […]
Posted inWater
Austin joins fight against proposed private dam on South Llano River
Austin is joining the fight against a proposed private dam on the South Llano River that experts say could have an impact on the city’s water supply. City Council voted last week to approve a resolution directing the city manager to seek a contested case hearing regarding an application by Waterstone Creek LLC to the […]
Posted inWater
Residents concerned proposed private dam on South Llano River could affect Austin’s drinking water supply
Residents of Llano and Edwards counties are fighting a pending Texas Commission on Environmental Quality permit that could have implications on Austin’s drinking water supply. An application filed by Waterstone Creek LLC seeks authorization to “construct and maintain a dam and reservoir on the South Llano River, Colorado River Basin, impounding 12.02 acre-feet of water […]
Posted inWater
Water panelists examine how to supply Austin as growth continues
“Water is nonpartisan. But, oh, my God, it is totally political.” Those words, from Central Texas Water Coalition President Jo Karr Tedder, summarized much of the fraught and frank discussion about the future of water resources in Central Texas during a luncheon panel last week in front of local development and real estate leaders. The […]
Posted inEnvironment
Hundreds of fish found dead in Shoal Creek after waterline break
Update: Austin’s Watershed Protection Department told KUT in an email Friday that staff have found about 300 dead fish now. “Last night’s storm pushed debris in the creek, along with the fish, toward an inlet where staff were able to see the full extent of the spill impact,” the email said. The department said crews […]
Posted inDevelopment
Dripping Springs neighbors object to plans for outdoor music venue
Residents of rural Hays County are pushing hard against a planned 5,000-seat outdoor music venue that will sit along a two-lane road and potentially impact water flowing into the Edwards Aquifer. Plans for the venue emerged last year from California-based Lexor Investments, which is seeking to build the concert venue on 32 acres at 14820 […]
Posted inWater
Don’t worry if you drank the Austin tap water. It was fine all along.
The water flowing out of Austin taps is now safe to drink – and apparently was all along. Austin Water issued a boil-water notice on Saturday night, asking that all customers of the public utility boil their water for at least two minutes before drinking it or cooking with it. A spokesperson for the utility […]
Posted inEnvironment
Environmentalists, city say sewage will harm Barton Creek
Houston developer Stephen Cleveland has requested a permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to dump partially treated sewage into Long Branch, a tributary of Barton Creek. Although TCEQ has issued a draft permit, environmental organizations and the city of Austin have objected, saying the discharge will diminish the quality of the creek, which […]
Posted inCourts
Utility puts off settling lawsuit amid uproar
After hearing complaints from environmentalists and residents of Hamilton Pool Road at their meeting Thursday, the board of directors of the West Travis County Public Utility Agency decided to postpone a formal settlement of a lawsuit filed against the board of the utility by the developer Provence and two property owners. News of the proposed […]
Posted inEnvironment
TCEQ OKs Dripping Springs discharge permit
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued a wastewater discharge permit to Dripping Springs on Wednesday, giving the city authority to expand its existing wastewater plant and discharge up to 822,500 gallons of effluent per day into Onion Creek. However, Dripping Springs has committed to beneficial reuse of the effluent in an effort to avoid […]
Posted inEnvironment
Most groups, Dripping Springs reach settlement
More than two and a half years after the city of Dripping Springs filed a request for a wastewater discharge permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that alarmed environmentalists and nearby landowners about potential damage to Onion Creek, drinking water and Barton Springs, all of the environmental groups except one, as well as […]