Environment
BY ELISABETH JIMENEZ
“Our responsibility is to care for our residents and protect our natural resources, while planning for the growth that continues Court paves way for Dripping Springs wastewater expansion Dripping Springs o cials are working to expand the city’s wastewater treatment following a Texas Supreme Court decision issued April 11. The details The court ruled in support of the city’s
The background The city was originally granted the permit by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ, in 2019. Nonpro t Save Our Springs Alliance, or SOS, then led a lawsuit against TCEQ. Since then, the permit had been in litigation as SOS brought up concerns regarding discharge being dumped into Onion Creek. Foulds said the city would only resort to discharging into Onion Creek in a “catastrophic” situation in which all wastewater storage facilities are at capacity. In the event the city does, o cials would have to justify the reason to the TCEQ, the city’s special counsel David Tuck eld said. Bill Bunch, executive director of SOS, released a statement disagreeing with the Texas Supreme Court’s decision. “We need to digest the court’s opinion before taking our next steps to protect our clear, clean Hill Country waters,” he said.
to come our way.” BILL FOULDS, MAYOR
wastewater discharge permit, which would allow o cials to treat about 822,500 gallons of wastewater per day. The permit was tied up in litigation since 2019 due to concerns regarding discharge being dumped into Onion Creek. The city can now expand its wastewater facilities by increasing the amount of treated wastewater, building more treatment facilities in the future and expanding reuse initiatives. “Our responsibility is to care for our residents and protect our natural resources, while planning for the growth that continues to come our way,” Mayor Bill Foulds said.
“While we are not surprised, we disagree on how the court applied federal Clean Water Act
standards that protect our highest quality, clean lakes, streams, and Gulf waters.” BILL BUNCH, SOS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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SOUTHWEST AUSTIN DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION
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