BSEACD may consider request for delay

Travis County officials will likely have to wait until the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District board convenes tonight to hear if it will consider a county request for a delay in State Highway 45 Southwest talks. The aquifer board is scheduled to consider an agreement with TxDOT regarding environmental standards for the construction of the proposed 3.5-mile toll road. Some Travis County Commissioners, concerned that parts of the proposed agreement do not fully protect the aquifer’s recharge zone or critical karst features in the right of way, passed a resolution Tuesday asking the district board to delay the agreement for three weeks so county officials can better evaluate its terms. The agreement is based on a 1990 Consent Decree issued to protect the aquifer if a roadway is to be built, but county officials and several environmental organizations expressed concerns over some parts of the proposed agreement. Aquifer district general manager John Dupnik said Wednesday that board members were generally aware of the county’s request, but they did not plan to consider it until they convene at tonight’s board meeting set for 6 p.m. at BSEACD headquarters in Manchaca.