Mirasol Springs water line moving forward in west Travis County

BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN) -- Mirasol Springs, a 1,400-acre development in western Travis County, will get access to water from Lake Travis. Board members with the West Travis County Public Utility Agency (WTCPUA) approved drawing up a contract during their meeting on November 18.

"There's both good and not so good. But we're making progress," said landowner Lew Adams after the decision was made unanimously by the board. Adams owns land that is surrounded by the Mirasol Springs development.

"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 public comment ahead of the vote.

The contract will be drawn up over two days by the board. It will then be shared with the public. The board will offer the contract to Mirasol Springs at the next board meeting in December.

The development submitted a proposal to the WTCPUA for a new water line extension in September. The three-inch line would be built and paid for by the developers. It would attach to a currently approved water service line extension to build west of Highway 71.

"Limitations on the size of that pipeline, if this is the only pipeline, etc., will make a big difference in what happens in the Hill country," Adams said.

As part of the contract, several additional stipulations were made. Those include restrictions on new wells on the property, the addition of metered water usage for farming and livestock, inspections of the property and the right to shut off water service if any restrictions are violated and not corrected within 60 days.

The group also added restrictions on wastewater. Treated water must have a low amount of nitrates and phosphorus, essentially drinkable, that could be used for irrigation.

Speakers during Monday's public comment said that recent talks between landowners and Mirasol leadership had moved in a positive direction.

"You and I are on the same side of the table. We're not on different sides. We're trying to protect the environment," Winn directed to the landowners.

Mirasol Springs aims 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 built on.

That land, just west of Hamilton Pool and Reimer's Ranch along the Pedernales River, is dotted by several springs. Activists and landowners worry that development in the area could lead to groundwater depletion and that these springs could dry up.

Water service line debate

The WTCPUA said they would agree to the line under several conditions, including the surrendering of any groundwater or surface water permits by the developers.

The WTCPUA board was scheduled to vote on the plan in October but delayed the vote until Nov. 18 after pushback from landowners and activists.

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 under several restrictions.

• The size of the water main line extension shall not exceed 3 inches with a maximum flow of 108 gallons per minute.
• The drilling of any new water wells and, upon service from the WTCPUA, the non-exempt
  use of groundwater is prohibited.
• Rainwater harvesting and storage for outdoor irrigation is mandatory.
• The use of the Pedernales River as a potable water supply to the area served by WTCPUA is
  prohibited.
• Mirasol will sever its groundwater estate and grant Travis County a groundwater conservation easement.
• WTCPUA water is limited to indoor use.

Ahead of the Mirasol vote in October, representatives with the WTCPUA told KXAN that “the reason we are considering it is to relieve capacity from the Trinity Aquifer and the Pedernales River.”

Concerns about development

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.