Private well owners who are up in arms over a proposed water well field in an unregulated portion of the Trinity Aquifer in Hays County will get to hear from several of the entities involved in the project on Feb. 5.

A specially formed committee made up of the Houston-based water developer, Electro Purification; its three customers, including the city of Buda; and government officials have been invited for its first meeting in San Marcos at the Hays County Government Center, 712 S. Stagecoach Trail. The committee was formed via a unanimous Hays County Commissioners Court vote on Jan. 20.

Many private well owners in the area and those concerned increased pumping from the groundwater source could lead to the depletion of their water supply have protested the proposed development by boycotting the city of Buda and have called for regulation of the well site.

But Electro Purification has said it will only move forward with the project if its test wells prove that the groundwater source can sustain the proposed level of pumping.

The company is proposing to pump 5.35 million gallons of water per day from the Cow Creek Formation of the Trinity Aquifer. The well site lies in a so-called white area, where no regulating agency has jurisdiction to manage the production of water. At their regular meeting Feb. 3, Hays County commissioners approved a resolution in support of legislation that would bring white areas under local control.

"Many questions and concerns have been shared with the county about this project," Precinct 3 Commissioner Will Conley said in a Hays County news release. "Both for the residents of the area and the long-term health of the Trinity Aquifer, I hope this meeting helps us openly discuss the issues and find good solutions to these complicated problems."

Conley had called on the Buda City Council to delay contracting with the company until stakeholders could study the project further. On Jan. 20, the council moved forward with the contract, which will provide the citys water customers with a million gallons of water a day.

Electro Purification also has contracts with Goforth Water Special Utility District and the developer of a proposed residential subdivision in Mountain Citys outskirts.

Ed McCarthy, an attorney for Electro Purification, told Community Impact Newspaper on Feb. 2 that he will represent the company at the upcoming meeting.

The Feb. 5 meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. It will be recorded and made available for viewing within seven business days, according to a Hays County news release.