The ASR project, approved as part of Austin’s Water Forward Plan, aims to store and draw water at the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer through a facility Austin officials plan to build in northeast Bastrop County.
“We have committed to putting in more than we take out,” said Emily Chancellor, who works in the public information office at Austin Water, during a Bastrop City Council meeting July 8. “At least a 5% deposit will not be withdrawn, and that will help create a buffer zone and protect the health of the aquifer.”
About the project
Although Austin Water began to explore eight potential locations in 2021, officials cited criteria that led to the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer becoming a prime target for design and construction.
- Hydrogeology
- Water quality
- Proximity to the Austin water system
- Permit ability and implementation
- Feasibility
Long story short
With the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer being the primary source of drinking water for Bastrop, several residents, including council member Cynthia Meyer, continued to voice concerns about the ASR project and a lack of transparency from Austin in the past.
“Why in our yard? Do it in your own yard,” she said. “This is Bastrop. I couldn’t be more emphatic and more passionate about ‘Go back to Austin and take it out of your aquifer.’”
Mayor Pro Tem John Kirkland noted how the ASR project is a sour subject for many in Bastrop.
“I know how the residents feel about it, and they don’t want it,” he said.
Bastrop City Council members said they are hesitant to sign a memorandum of understanding with Austin Water, but Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino emphasized how becoming a stakeholder or partner could be a vital step to receive information about the project.
“It doesn’t say that we have to support the project,” she said. “It would give us the opportunity to receive and have comments. Otherwise, our comments will have to go through the [Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District], [Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund] and some of the other partners.”
Also of note
Carrillo-Trevino added that Bastrop will host a couple of open houses for residents to relay their concerns to Austin Water before a finalized memorandum of understanding is brought to Bastrop City Council for consideration and action in October.
“So we are a couple of steps away from signing this, but I needed to put this in front of you,” she said. “Regardless of where we are, it’s coming.”
In late April, Bastrop City Council passed a resolution expressing opposition to the project, as previously reported by Community Impact.
