Water pipeline decision following pushback from worried landowners

Bee Cave, TX (KXAN) -- After months of protests and discussions, the future for water in western Travis County could be decided today.

The West Travis County Public Utility Agency (WTCPUA) could come to an agreement with Mirasol Springs, a new development, concerning the construction of a water line.

The line would connect the controversial development to a water supply drawn from Lake Travis. The new water line is meant to help prevent groundwater depletion near what some in the area call the “crown jewels” of Texas.

The WTCPUA board is scheduled to meet at 1:00pm at Bee Cave City Hall. Two items pertaining to Mirasol Springs are on the agenda. This includes taking action on a "non-standard service agreement" and a "service availability letter".

In November, the WTCPUA board agreed in a unanimous decision to move forward on the proposed three-inch line. The development, located just west of Reimer's Ranch on Hamilton Pool Rd., aims to set the gold standard for future development in the Hill Country.

Water in the Hill Country

The original service agreement was filed in September. Following a board meeting in October, a vote on the service agreement was delayed.

Additions were made to the agreement in November, which was then approved by the board. It is now up to Mirasol Springs to decide if they wish to move forward with those changes.

According to the agreement, Mirasol Springs will enter into a contract for 347 Living Unit Equivalents (LUEs). One LUE, according to the WTCPUA’s website, is equal to 450 gallons per day of water.

The developer, Mirasol Capital, will be required to pay for the installation of the water line, which will run from an access point west of Highway 12 at the Peacock Ranch development, down Hamilton Pool Road and to the development.

The line will start at four inches in diameter and shrink to three inches at the development.

The Mirasol developers will agree not to drill new groundwater wells and include a plat note prohibiting new wells. The WTCPUA will inspect the development and if they find a violation on groundwater use, they will provide a 60-day notice for the development to fix the issues.

If it is not fixed, the developer will lose water service until a correction is made.

The current Phase 1 irrigation plan for the development’s farm must be abandoned. The WTCPUA will instead provide water for irrigation. This service will also extend into Phase 2.

Finally, the developer must agree to limits in their TLAP (Texas Land Application Permit). These TLAPs manage wastewater disposal. The wastewater must have Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorous levels to one parts per million. This means wastewater must be treated to drinkable levels.

Pushback against Mirasol Springs

Landowners in the area surrounding Mirasol Springs have pushed back against its construction since it was initially announced. Concerns included damage to the nearby springs, endangered species and depletion of the aquifer which feeds popular watering hole Hamilton Pool.

Mirasol Springs says they aim to set the “gold-standard” for developers in the future, with several green initiatives in place meant to protect the environmentally sensitive land it is scheduled to be built on.

Travis County Commissioner’s Court, who initially voiced concerns about the impact of the development on the springs, has since come out in favor of the water line.

“We’ve got to build in a way that is environmentally responsible and can be used as a playbook for the expansion that is inevitable in this part of the country,” said Mirasol Capital founder Steve Winn during the November meeting.

Activists, including the Save Our Springs Alliance, have said they’re worried that even with restrictions in place, development could flourish. The group often cites a 2015 study by the Meadows Center at Texas State which found that a water line extension along Highway 290 led to increased groundwater depletion in that area.

That study was partially funded by the Save Our Springs Alliance.

Doug Wierman, the hydrologist who authored that study, has since come out and said that the situations are not the same. The proposed Mirasol Springs water line is meant strictly for one development, whereas the Highway 290 pipeline was meant to boost development near Dripping Springs.

Landowners who live along Hamilton Pool Road have said that the initial water line installed in 2005, which the Mirasol line will attach, has led to increased development.

“If you build it, they will come. And they came. The developments came, the traffic came, the lack of water came. And we are now in the same predicament, if you will, going down west of 12,” said Nell Penridge, a homeowner who has lived in the area since 2009.