If you fought the Trans-Texas Corridor, you may remember that the TTC plan was a "multi-modal" corridor. It involved many things besides a massive toll road. One of them was water pipeline.

The grand scheme of the TTC is dead, but the plan for water pipeline has reared its ugly and equally arrogant head to take massive amounts of water from the east of Austin region and send it the southern part of our region — Hays County — for developer's dreams to double the population of the Austin metro area in 16 years! (Do these people not know that Bastrop County just went through record breaking drought that was incredibly frightening?)

Read the press release from Aqua Water Coop below this post. You will immediately see the absurdity of this plan. State and regional officials are trying to hand over one region's water rights to another region — for private developers. The pipeline itself is 5 feet in diameter, 52 miles long and will cost over $300 million. And naturally, water officials want to float bonds to pay for it.

The plan to build a pipeline to ship Bastrop'swater elsewhere is so egregious that Aqua Water Coop has threw down the gauntlet to oppose this project. We are joining in with the good ol' boys and gals at Aqua Water in calling out to the troops. Heck no, our water will not go!

September 21st at 6 pm (at the Smithville Recreation Center at 106 Royston).

Pati Jacobs, seeking to be the new state representative for District 17 (all of Bastrop, Burleson, Colorado, Fayette and Lee counties and a small portion of Brazos) is using her campaign to oppose this pipeline. As a local rancher who also opposed the TTC, Pati understands this issue all too well. Pati (running on the Democratic ticket) was overwhelmingly supported at our recent Cost of Growth forum on August 18th. Rocky Palmquist (running on the Republican ticket) was also overwhelmingly supported at this forum for the County Commissioner Place 4 race (Elgin and FM 1704 area). Rocky also opposes the pipeline.

Aqua Water's Call to Arms!
August 19, 2010
PRESS RELEASE:
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

AQUA WATER SUPPLY CORPORATION OPPOSES
GBRA SIMSBORO PROJECT

Bastrop, Texas – Aqua Water Supply Corporation announces strong opposition to the GBRA Simsboro project. The GBRA Simsboro Project was submitted as a "Recommended Strategy" by the South Central Texas Regional Water Planning Group (Region L) to the Texas Water Development Board this month. The proposed project intends to build a 52 mile pipeline from Bastrop & Lee Counties in order to transfer 50,000 acre-feet of water to the San Marcos area. The project is estimated to cost $330,782,000 and would be financed in part by bonds issued by the Texas Water Development Board.

Prior to the new groundwater availability process, Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District issued permits to local users authorizing 43,486 acre-feet/year to be pumped from the Simsboro aquifer in Bastrop County. The currently proposed State Water Plan shows, however, that only 28,000 acre-feet/year are available in Bastrop County. In other words, existing permits already exceed what is shown to be available in the proposed Plan. Additionally, current local usage is increasing. Last year, the total water pumped from Bastrop County was 20,198 acre-feet.

The proposed Plan shows all available water will be needed to support local growth in Bastrop County at the end of 50 years. The GBRA Simsboro Project proposes an additional 30,000 acre-feet/year be pumped from Bastrop County. If this is allowed, more than twice the amount available of 28,000 acre-feet/year will be pumped and the aquifer will be overdrafted. That means more water will be taken out than the amount that recharges. Continued overdrafting will ultimately reduce the level of the aquifer to the point it cannot be economically produced in Bastrop County.

In Lee County, the proposed State Plan shows there is a total of 27,533 acre-feet/year available. At the end of the 50 year planning period there will be 19,777 acre-feet/year available to others after local use. By itself, it appears that there is water availability in Lee County for use by others. However, the Lost Pines GCD looks at the two counties as a whole because the Simsboro aquifer is a single hydrological unit. Based on all of the above numbers, there will be approximately 4,500 acre-feet of water available which may be permitted by the Lost Pines GCD at the end of the 50-year planning period. Given the accuracy of predicting water availability 50 years in advance, Aqua strongly believes that the available water in both counties is fully permitted.

Aqua Water believes that if the GBRA Simsboro Project goes forward, it will significantly and irrevocably harm our Camp Swift well field. This well field currently supplies about 40% of Aqua's 17,400 connections. Moreover, Aqua believes that if the GBRA Simsboro Project were to proceed, there would be no water for the future XS Ranch development of some 7,400 homes. XS Ranch already has a contract with Aqua to supply their drinking water. From the perspective of Aqua Water, if the GBRA Simsboro Project proceeds, it will completely and immediately stop economic development in Bastrop and Lee Counties. There will be no water left available for local use.

Aqua believes the water needed for our community should not be piped 52 miles south. If you feel the same way, please attend our Central Texas Water Forum to be held September 21 at 6:00 in Bastrop. The location will be at the Smithville Recreation Center, 106 Royston. Please RSVP to Frances Langhorne at: flanghorne@aquawsc.com. If e-mail is not available, please call Linda Nietsche at: (512) 581-0705.

For further information, contact Bill Loven at the telephone numbers of e-mail listed above.

The GBRA Simsboro Project can be read in full detail at:
http://www.regionltexas.org/2011_RegWaterPlan/2011_vol2/Section4C.21.pdf

Here's a helpful piece in the Bastrop Advertiser:
http://bastropadvertiser.com/2010/08/27/proposed-pipeline-causing-anxiety/comment-page-1/#comment-26540