West Lake Hills City Council approved a site plan Wednesday presented by Water Control and Improvement District 10 for a new pump station at 5324 Bee Caves Road. Council changed the property from office zoning to government, utility and industrial zoning. Council also granted variances for the removal of two trees, a driveway setback encroachment, a septic tank setback and a variance allowing a water tank of more than 2,000 gallons on the property. “[The pump station] is the first of many upgrades that will promote fire safety in our city,” Mayor Linda Anthony said. “The district has gone to great lengths to work with residents and the city, and I am really looking forward to seeing this get underway.” The pump station is one of numerous projects approved in a $46 million bond package passed by residents in May 2015, and it will supply water to new water lines that will be installed between 2017 and 2018, engineer Tom Arndt said at the meeting. Those water lines should improve fire hydrant water flow throughout the district, he said. The pump station will be insulated to reduce noise, and there is a large amount of vegetation around the property, he said.  An on-site backup generator will run on natural gas as opposed to diesel fuel, he said. Arndt said construction could start "by this time next year," and WCID 10 looks to go out for bids in the next three to four months. “We’ve been at this for a long time, and I think this is much better than some of the other proposed sites,” Mayor Pro Tem Stan Graham said. “This one works out really well, and I appreciate what the water district has done.” Anthony said the location is ideal because it is surrounded by commercial properties with the exception of only two homes, and the natural gas line will not require the water district to store diesel fuel on-site. “The impact is minimal," she said. “It’s a win-win for everyone.” WCID 10 serves the city of West Lake Hills along with the areas in and around the Rob Roy developments, Camelot and Westwood off Bee Caves Road.