October Watershed News Updates |
Topics: Vote Yes on Prop A | Dripping Springs' Direct Discharge Permit Reversed
Hydro Report and Drought Declarations | Site-Harvested Water Supply Online at Blue Hole
Hill Country Sewage Scorecard Report | Upcoming Events
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Vote to Preserve and Protect Land and Water Resources in Hays County |
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Water and recreational opportunities are of great value in Hays County. Proposition A, Our Parks and Open Space Bond, is a chance on election day to look back without regret years from now, knowing we seized this opportunity for the future of our land and water.
We will recover from current challenges, but our opportunity cannot wait to preserve this iconic landscape, to protect our water, and to create parks, trails, and activity centers that are needed across the county. Development and escalating land values mean we have to act now.
Then, as with a proposed $75 million now, the County will issue bonds over a decade, conscientiously, without raising our tax rate, as population and valuations grow. If the land and water could speak, they would tell us: vote yes. Look at the list of recommended projects— Coleman’s Canyon Preserve (and the Wimberley Bat Cave), Sentinel Peak Preserve on the Blanco River, the Violet Crown Trail, Cape’s Fishing Pond, and other important park lands across the county. They bring open space and conservation, hiking and biking, urban parks, and flood mitigation.
Useful links to find out more:
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Dripping Springs' Direct Discharge Permit Reversed by District Court |
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Yesterday, water quality advocates received affirmation that direct discharge in Hill Country streams goes against the Clean Water Act. After the State of Texas 459th District Court Judge Maya Guerra Gamble issued her ruling in the Save Our Springs (SOS) v TCEQ case contesting the Dripping Springs wastewater discharge permit, SOS attorney, Kelly Davis, announced: "We Won!"
The Judge's ruling reverses the TCEQ's permit and explains that the permit decision lacks adequate water quality protections:
"The Court, after reviewing the pleadings, administrative record, briefing, and argument of counsel, finds that the TCEQ’s order approving the City of Dripping Springs’s wastewater discharge permit is not supported by the law or substantial evidence and should be reversed. Specifically, the Court finds the following conclusions of TCEQ unsupported by substantial evidence: (1) that the proposed discharge complies with the Agency’s 'Tier 2' anti-degradation rule requiring that the City’s discharge must not cause more than a de minimis lowering of water quality in Onion Creek unless there is a showing that such lowering of water quality is necessary for important economic or social development; (2) that the proposed discharge would not impair existing high quality aquatic life uses of Onion Creek."
Bill Bunch, lead SOS attorney, highlighted Judge Guerra Gamble's interpretation of Clean Water Act violations as a key argument against wastewater discharges in Hill Country streams. The Judge's ruling states: "By relying on the City’s arguments that the wastewater discharge will 'enrich' Onion Creek, making it more biologically productive, while deeming as irrelevant the effects of the discharge on native aquatic species adapted to the very low nutrient conditions of Onion Creek and other Hill Country streams, the Agency really has turned the Clean Water Act upside down."
"Finally a decision by the court that acknowledges the unique nature of Texas Hill Country Streams and Rivers are no place for discharging nutrient rich effluent into the pristine waters that characterize our Karst region. These waterways recharge our sole source drinking water aquifers and are the backbone of our economy, this ruling is a major step towards protecting the health of our community. Fantastic work by Bill Bunch and the entire Save Our Springs Alliance Team!" said David Baker, WVWA Executive Director.
This ruling is a timely reinforcement of the need for alternate wastewater solutions in the Hill Country. WVWA continues to collaborate with governmental, scientific, and non-profit partners to facilitate research and implementation of beneficial use that can address water shortages while enhancing wastewater treatment solutions.
Useful links:
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No matter what area agencies call their drought declaration, it’s obvious water levels and spring flows have declined to exceptionally low levels. The Hays Trinity GCD, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer CD, and Edwards Aquifer Authority have all declared drought. In order to preserve groundwater availability, coordinated water conservation measures are essential.
With dry soils, even the six inches of rain in early September did little to boost groundwater storage for the long term. The plants and soils absorbed much of the moisture, so the rain did little to generate runoff and recharge. This late in the dry season, it will take several consecutive rains to wet the soils before sustained recharge can refill the aquifers.
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Now announcing: BLUE WATER in the toilets at Blue Hole Primary! Yes, you heard correctly. That blue water shows the switch to the site-harvested water supply (rainwater and AC condensate) for non-potable uses—like toilet flushing!
Parents, don’t worry – that water is filtered, treated, then dyed with food-grade dye, so it’s safe and identifiable.
Blue Hole Primary’s One Water design optimizes water use to minimize how much groundwater the school uses.
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Low groundwater levels and declining spring flows have triggered drought declarations from area groundwater conservation districts to protect water availability, so the switch to the alternate supply is well timed! |
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Hill Country Sewage Scorecard |
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Save Barton Creek Association has released a new report, “Pristine to Polluted: Sewage Problems & Solutions in the Texas Hill Country.” The report includes the Hill Country Sewage Scorecard, which grades all of the region’s municipal wastewater discharge facilities on how often they exceed the pollution limits in their state-issued permits.
Among the report’s key findings:
- 81 percent of all sewage discharge plants in the Hill Country exceeded at least one of their pollutant limits since 2017.
- The average for all plants was 8.6 exceedances, and 188 days with exceedances, for the past three-and-a-half years.
- High levels of ammonia nitrogen and oxygen depletion, which can harm fish and other aquatic life, accounted for 49 percent of all exceedances.
- E. coli bacteria accounted for 25 percent of remaining exceedances. The presence of E. coli is a sign that other fecal pathogens are present in water too.
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(click to visit calendar)
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Jacob's Well Natural Area Guided Tours - Sat. Nov. 14 & 28
Tours are led by Master Naturalist volunteers from the local Hays County Chapter who have a passion for all things natural. The guides will speak in-depth about the history of Jacob's Well and the aquifer system that sustains it as well as the...
Read more
wimberleywatershed.org
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The WVWA is a proud partner again for this year's virtual Barton Springs University! An incredible line-up of presentations are archived and available for viewing year round!
Of particular interest are the Beyond Yuck! Human Waste and Clean Water in Central Texas presentation by Dr. Ryan King, the Keynote address by Dr. Robert Mace, and a discussion on Toxic Blue-Green Algae: A New Threat Emerges in Austin's Lakes with Dr. Brent Bellinger.
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The Wimberley Valley Watershed Association is a 501c3 non-profit organization. In order to carry out our mission, we rely upon generous donations by people like you who care about protecting and preserving the natural beauty of the Hill Country. Your contributions are tax-deductible. |
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