Consideration, Discussion, and Take Action on Approval of Recommendations on behalf of the Blanco Water Reclamation Task Force (Council Member Deda Divine).

A motion was made by Council Member Divine to approve the Task Force recommendations and direct staff to negotiate a new TLAP permit with phased adoption of no discharge, with reference to the Protect Our Blanco sample guidelines, seconded by Council Member Barron, all in favor, motion carried unanimously.

After four years of work since the TCEQ hearing when the City of Blanco was proposing to discharge 1.6 million gallons a day of effluent into the river and the last year and half of the Blanco Water Reclamation Task Force, we have come a long way to realize this action by City Council. 

 

Many partners have worked tirelessly toward these two actions. Many thanks goes to Nick Dornak and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment for facilitating the Task Force process, the Task Force members from the City and Protect Our Blanco (POB), Robin Gary with the Watershed Association, and especially Lauren Ice, POB's attorney who has supported us these past four years. These actions must be credited to our dear friend, POB board member and Task Force member Joe Day who passed away last month, he is smiling on us and the river from heaven.  

Also many thanks to POB Board of Directors, Hays County Commissioner Lon Shell, Save Our Springs Alliance, Aqua Strategies and KIT, Lauren Ross, Ryan King, Chris Herrington, Cliff Kaplan & Hill Country Alliance, National Wildlife Federation, The Harry L. Willett Foundation, Randy Norwood, Margo Denke & Friends of Hondo Canyon, Headwaters Alliance, all the No Dumping Sewage Coalition partners and many others including hundreds of citizens and landowners that donated, showed up at public meetings and hearings, wrote emails, letters and made public comment to TCEQ and City Council and never gave up the good fight.  

We still have much work to do to negotiate and write the final details of the permit and put in place the appropriate monitoring and conditions to bring the permit to TCEQ but these two actions last night gave us the green light to move forward in partnership with the City and into Phase II of the Blanco Water Reclamation Task Force work. This was truly a courageous and wise action by the City of Blanco for the long term protection and stewardship of our beloved and pristine Blanco River.  

Please leave a comment and thank the Blanco City Council for this historic action here 

More info: Blanco Water Reclamation Task Force

Please offer your comments on the Pristine Streams & Rivers Rulemaking Petition at TCEQ before March 30th. 

Less than 1% of all classified stream segments in Texas can still be called truly pristine. Many of these streams are located in the Hill Country, where they provide a foundation for the region's thriving tourism and recreation businesses.

One of the features of very pristine streams is that they have very low levels of phosphorus. Scientists measure phosphorus in streams to assess their water quality. Too much phosphorus can degrade water quality, causing algae blooms and other pollution. Treated domestic wastewater has high levels of phosphorus, because phosphorus is a byproduct of the treatment process itself.

The solution is clear: Prohibit new wastewater discharge permits on our state's last remaining pristine streams. The Pristine Streams Petition is asking TCEQ to adopt a rule doing just that.

New wastewater discharge permits would be prohibited on classified stream segments with phosphorus levels below 0.06 milligrams per liter. This would include 22 stream segments covering 1,373 miles. The rule would protect several of Texas's most iconic streams, including the Blanco, Guadalupe, and Llano Rivers, as well as Barton, Cypress, and Onion Creeks.

The rule would not prohibit new development on these streams. Developers will be able to apply for a TLAP land irrigation permit and for authorization to reuse their wastewater. Both options have been used very successfully in the two areas where TCEQ has already prohibited new wastewater discharge permits — around the Highland Lakes (since 1986) and in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone (since 1996).

The rule proposed by the petition is fair, balanced, and necessary to protect our state's last few pristine streams.

Anyone can submit comments on this petition using the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) E-Filing system.

Please submit your comments as soon as possible. The TCEQ Commissioners will vote on March 30th, but staff recommendations will be complete on March 11th.  Write your own comments or use the following template: