Bill would stop Austin from protesting pollution
State Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs) has filed a bill that appears to threaten to punish the city of Austin for opposing Dripping Springs’ controversial wastewater discharge permit before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
The city of Austin has been working with Dripping Springs to reach a settlement on issues related to Dripping Springs’ application to discharge 995,000 gallons a day of treated wastewater into Onion Creek. Dripping Springs has agreed to beneficial reuse of the wastewater, with the goal of eliminating the discharge on most days.
However, Austin and several other property owners have requested a contested case hearing at the TCEQ.
On Tuesday, six environmental organizations sent a letter to the Austin City Council urging it to continue to push Dripping Springs for no discharge. The letter was signed by representatives of the Save Barton Creek Association, Clean Water Action, the Austin Regional Group of the Sierra Club, the Save Our Springs Alliance, the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance and a Hays County group known as Protect Our Water, or POW.
Read more: https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2017/03/bill-would-stop-austin-from-protesting-pollution/