March 7, 2018
(AUSTIN) – A state agency decided this morning (March 7th) who can challenge a controversial plan allowing Dripping Springs to dump nearly a million gallons of treated sewage a day into Onion Creek, a major source of water for Austin’s famous Barton Springs.
TCEQ commissioners will allow Save Barton Creek Association, Protect Our Water, Save Our Springs Alliance, and several individual landowners to participate in the hearing. They also agreed that the City of Austin could proceed to the hearing for a determination of their affected status.
The hearing will be complete 180 days after the preliminary hearing, which is likely to be set for approximately 45 days from today. TCEQ will hear arguments for and against the proposed sewage permit. The state agency can then either grant or deny the permit or change its terms.
Groups have many concerns about the plan including pollution of groundwater in the environmentally sensitive Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer. A campaign at nodrippingsewage.org revolves around a petition against piped sewage into creeks across the region and the slogan “There’s a better way.”