The Hays County commissioners have thrown their support behind a grant application that would allow a Central Texas group to study the feasibility of building a desalination plant to supply water to parts of Hays and Travis counties.

Hays County commissioners unanimously approved the resolution in support of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District’s efforts to secure the grant from the Texas Water Development Board at their regular meeting Feb. 3. As a participant in the project, Hays County will not have to provide funding, but will send staff members to meetings about the desalination plant and provide direction as necessary, said Brian Smith, a hydrogeologist with the district. Smith said much of the potable Edwards Aquifer water in the western portions of the two counties is separated from non-potable, heavily salinated water in the two counties' eastern areas. “The engineering challenges are taken care of,” Smith said. “You can do this. It’s done all over the world, but at what cost? You treat the water, and then you have to dispose of that [saline] concentrate somehow—which is expensive. Then you come up with the price of water and whether it’s doable or not.” The total project cost is estimated to be about $560,000, Smith said. If approved by the TWDB, the grant would cover $275,000 of the project, and the district would cover the remainder. Smith said if the district receives the grant, it will build a test well near the Hays and Travis county lines to test the water in that area. Any plans that include water pumped from eastern Hays and Travis counties will need to be vetted to ensure there are no adverse affects to other well owners, he said. Most studies indicate there is little connection between the portions of the Edwards Aquifer in eastern and western Hays and Travis counties, so he does not anticipate adverse affects. Electro Purification, a Houston-based water development company, has drawn criticism from well owners because it plans to pump up to 5.35 million gallons of water per day from the Trinity Aquifer in an unregulated area of western Hays County. Many well owners are concerned their wells could be dried out due to excessive pumping. The company has water supply agreements in place with the city of Buda, Goforth Water Special Utility District and Anthem, a new subdivision to be built in Mountain City. “I wish we had done this process faster, because if we had done this five or 10 years ago, it might be that this is already running and [the Electro Purification] discussion would have never come about,” Smith said. Hays County Judge Bert Cobb said he hoped to follow the project along as it is developed. "I need to learn more about desal," Cobb said. "What I've learned has not been very heartening. It's very energy-inefficient, and what do you do with the tailings you take out? What do you do with the 'sal?'" The district has asked for support from Travis County, and Smith said he anticipates a meeting with commissioners soon.