The board of directors of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District voted Monday night to protest Dripping Springs’ draft permit to discharge 995,000 gallons of wastewater per day into a tributary of Onion Creek. The vote means that the district will request that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality hold a contested case hearing and […]
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
environmental regulating authority for the State of Texas.
Posted inWater
Austin has proposal for Dripping Springs permit
The city of Austin has released a draft proposal for Dripping Springs’ controversial permit to discharge 995,000 gallons of treated wastewater into Onion Creek. The Austin and Dripping Springs city councils must both agree to the terms of the proposal. But there are several other landowners and agencies that may request that the Texas Commission […]
Posted inWater
Dripping Springs still seeking effluent permit
The city of Austin is continuing efforts to convince Dripping Springs not to go through with its plan to release treated effluent into Onion Creek, the tributary that provides the greatest amount of direct recharge to Barton Springs, according to Chris Herrington, chief engineer for the city’s Watershed Protection Department. The city continues to prepare […]
Posted inUncategorized
State law forces environmental groups to change strategy
The effects of Senate Bill 709, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott last year, are starting to be felt. The bill changed Texas’ contested hearing process for environmental permits. One of its main effects was to shift the burden of proof to the person or organization protesting, rather than applying for, a permit. The […]
Posted inHays County
Dripping Springs’ proposed wastewater plan could threaten aquifers
The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is moving quickly to prevent a change in the city of Dripping Springs’ wastewater management that could threaten Dripping Springs’ drinking water. The city of Dripping Springs has applied for a permit to discharge treated effluent from its wastewater plant into Onion Creek. But a recent study has confirmed […]
Posted inWater
Austin asks TCEQ to change wastewater rules
On Tuesday, the city of Austin formally asked the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for help in correcting an uptick in permits that allow direct discharge of effluent into the region’s lakes, creeks and streams. In Texas, treated wastewater can be discarded either through direct discharge into creeks or lakes, or through land application, as […]
Posted inEnvironment
City works to incentivize treated wastewater reuse
Although many believe that it is better to reuse treated wastewater than to discharge it into bodies of water, not all agree on how state law could incentivize reuse. City and regional stakeholders are drafting a proposal that might achieve that goal, and despite having hit some snags, it received encouragement from the Environmental Commission […]
Posted inWater
Central Texas water management plan updated
The Central Texas drought may continue, but the days of uncertainty about how to handle the water on which Austinites and others depend appear to be over for the foreseeable future. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved a major amendment to the Lower Colorado River Authority’s water management plan on Wednesday that sets stricter […]
Posted inWater
Regional leaders work on wastewater issues
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 […]
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 inLocal Government, Local Politics, Travis County
Brigid Shea has big ideas for Commissioners Court
In November, Brigid Shea was elected to the Precinct 2 seat on the Travis County Commissioners Court. She sat down with the Monitor earlier this month to discuss her plans, and got right to the point. “I intend to be very, very active,” said Shea. Shea said that part of her decision to run for office was […]
Posted inEnvironment, Local Government, Resources
LCRA approves Water Plan changes and reservoir
The Lower Colorado River Authority’s board members unanimously voted to accept several key amendments to their its 2012 Water Management Plan Wednesday. The board also voted to build the LCRA’s first new reservoir since the 1940s. The vote was the final step in getting the Water Management Plan ready for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality […]