Mirasol Springs new water line decision delayed amid pushback

BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN) -- Controversial development Mirasol Springs saw the decision for the construction of a new water service line delayed until Nov. 18 at a board meeting of the West Travis County Public Utility Agency (WTCPUA) on Thursday afternoon.

The development, which aims to set the gold standard for conservation in the Hill Country, has faced continued backlash from land owners and activists for more than two years.

Previously, developers had applied for groundwater pumping permits and for permits to collect surface water from the Pedernales River. Landowners said the amount of water the project needed was not sustainable.

In September, Mirasol Capital, the group behind Mirasol Springs, filed for the construction of the water service line with the WTCPUA. The proposed line would provide water to the homes, cottages and a hotel on the property.

The developers will have to build and pay for the construction of the line, which will run to their property off of Hamilton Pool Road in Western Travis County.

According to the plans, which landowners said they saw for the first time today, the pipe would be four inches in diameter and run from the Peacock Ranch development to Mirasol Springs. The Peacock Ranch development has already been approved for their service line.

The new line would run along Hamilton Pool Road. Engineers at the meeting highlighted that the land on either side of the road is either within a conservation easement or park land. Conservation easements prohibit future development.

The line would allow 108 gallons per minute to be carried to Mirasol Springs. There is no plans to connect this line to any future developments.

Landowners said the proposal was "rushed." Joellen Atkins said that she "we found out a few days ago I was stunned."

A spokesperson with the developer said about today's delay:

“Mirasol Springs is thankful for the thoughtful consideration by the WTCPUA for this service request and our team is eager to earn their approval. The continued disinformation promoted by opponent organizations is detracting from this exceptional project.”

Pushback against the new plan

Activists with Save the Pedernales and the Save Our Springs Alliance protested the decision to build the new water service line.

“Any expansion in water services and water pipelines has been shown to increase development and increase groundwater pumping,” said Victoria Rose, staff attorney for the Save Our Springs Alliance.

Rose cited a 2016 study conducted by the Meadows Center at Texas State that saw an increase in residential wells after the construction of a pipeline along U.S. 290.

"When they extended central water from Lake Austin, like they're proposing here, it actually resulted in more groundwater pumping rather than less," said Bill Bunch with the Save Our Springs Alliance.

Many landowners said they were not given proper notification of the plan. Bunch said they hadn't seen the plans until Thursday's meeting. "They promised a map would be provided on Tuesday. That never happened. It wasn't in the board packet that was posted. And so we were just shown it today."

While paperwork was filed in September, WTCPUA board members are only required to wait two weeks until they approve a proposed line. In this case, they waited more than a month.

"Not enough water"

Protestors had pushed back against Mirasol Springs over the requests for groundwater pumping and river diversion permits. Board members noted the only reason they were considering the proposal is that it would prevent the development from accessing ground and river water.

"This is an alternate source of water, and really it can be a wonderful solution to every concern the opposition has proposed," said Mirasol Capital Director Jim Truitt.

Bunch said the delay on the vote was the right thing to do. "It was a significant victory to just get them to do the common sense thing"

If approved, the new service line won't be immediately accessible. New facilities must be built before it can be activated. The earliest that will happen is 2027, according to a spokesperson with the WTCPUA.

The WTCPUA will next vote on the proposal on Nov. 18.