BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — John Kirkland found himself in the middle of a battle over his city’s water supply. As mayor of Bastrop, Kirkland said he is doing everything he can to prevent Austin Water, the city of Austin’s utility provider, from storing water under the district.
“in my opinion, [the proposal] “It crosses the gray line of being unethical, and I remain strongly opposed to it,” Kirkland said Tuesday, Oct. 14, during a City Council meeting.
The plan is called Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR), and involves taking treated surface water from the city of Austin, transporting it to Bastrop County, and pumping that water into the aquifer below. By keeping the water stored in the aquifer, it will be protected from evaporation.
“Everyone impacted by this project will have our full care and attention,” Austin Water Director Shay Ralls-Rolson said at the same Oct. 14 meeting.
“There’s really nothing for Bastrop except risk in this project,” Kirkland told KXAN. He’s concerned they’ll be putting their water at risk for no benefit. “This risk involves depleting the wells of the people closest to us when they want to draw that water. This comes with the potential for severe contamination, including poisoning.”
Because treated surface water will be pumped into the aquifer, there is the potential for chemical reactions to occur between the pumped water and minerals within the aquifer.
“This has been done by many other communities here in Texas. Communities like El Paso, Kerrville and San Antonio all have ASR projects that they have used now for decades,” said Marisa Florez Gonzalez, supervisor of Austin Water’s water resources team.
Why is Austin Water stored in Bastrop?
Flores Gonzalez said the project has been underway for several years. Austin Water surveyed several surrounding counties, including Bastrop and Lee counties. These two counties, along with Travis County, were found to be most suitable for the project.
The aquifer below Bastrop, the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, consists primarily of sand. For this reason, when water is pumped into it, that water will remain relatively close to where it was pumped.
The aquifer beneath Travis County, the Edwards Aquifer, is primarily limestone caverns. For this reason, any water pumped into the Edwards River will flow freely through the cave.
“The properties of an aquifer are very important in terms of our ability to effectively store large amounts of water and then recover it,” Rolls-Rolson told KXAN.
How will the ASR project work?
When water is pumped out, it forms a large bubble. The thin outer layer of that bubble is where the local water mixes with the treated water, but the bubble itself will only be treated water.
Ralls Roaslon said Austin Water worked with several other water suppliers during this evaluation period. It did not say whether the districts were aware that this evaluation was taking place.
Before the project begins, Austin Water will drill several test wells and take groundwater samples. In the laboratory, they will examine what happens when groundwater and minerals mix with treated water.
Kirkland said he thinks this is obvious, but it only provides a “static picture” of water quality.
During this period, Austin Water also plans to conduct aquifer studies in Travis County.
Following this laboratory period, Austin Water will undergo a pilot program in Bastrop County to test the ASR project on a small scale. If that works, they will expand the project.
Building a pipeline to pump water to Bastrop County would require a large amount of land. The city of Austin plans to reach out to landowners to determine if any will give them their property. Austin Water is also exploring the need for easements and land leases to create temporary structures.
The city of Austin has pledged not to use eminent domain for this project. Kirkland said he was informed by Bastrop’s city attorney that the agreement is not legally binding on future Austin city councils.
Bastrop backs down against Austin Water
Before Austin Water can continue operating, the company sought a final cooperative agreement with the City of Bastrop during the Oct. 14 City Council meeting.
“One element of that cooperative agreement said we would not take any action to prevent the project from moving forward. Which is the opposite of what I am currently doing,” Kirkland said.
As Mayor Pro Tem, Kirkland oversaw discussions about the project with Austin Water. Bastrop Mayor Ishmael Harris is a long-time employee of Austin Water. The city’s moral code requires him to excuse himself from the matter. Kirkland said the mayor followed the rules to the letter.
The city rejected the cooperation agreement. However, it may not matter.
“The only authority allowed for this project is [Texas Commission on Environmental Quality]. “If the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approves this project, the city of Bastrop’s opinion on this project will be irrelevant. It makes you feel somewhat powerless,” Kirkland said.
“We understand that everyone comes to this discussion wanting what is in the best interest of their constituents and the region,” Rolls-Rolson said. “We share an interest in making sure these water resources are well protected for future generations.”