Hamilton Pool Road residents oppose Masonwood West build

Following public comment and board discussion Nov. 21, the West Travis County Public Utility Agency reinstated previous environmental restrictions for developers of Hamilton Pool Road projects.

History

Prior to 2012, the Lower Colorado River Authority maintained water and wastewater service to western Travis County customers. As part of an agreement with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the LCRA required developers along the West Hwy. 290 utility line to abide by certain environmental restrictions, including creek set backs and erosion controls. At the November meeting, PUA attorney Lauren Kalisek said although LCRA's agreement did not require those same restrictions for other areas, the agency had made a policy decision to apply the environmental restraints to developments planned along Hamilton Pool Road's water line. The LCRA monitored these developments for compliance, she said.

In 2012, the PUA formed and took over water and wastewater service from the LCRA in Bee Cave, parts of Hays County and the Lake Pointe subdivision. The PUA continued to require new Hamilton Pool Road developments, including the new Belvedere and Rocky Creek projects, follow the environmental restrictions previously set out by LCRA, and the agency paid LCRA to ensure the restrictions were complied with, Kalisek said.

In August, the PUA agreed that Hamilton Pool Road developers no longer had to follow the environmental restrictions and, without paying LCRA to inspect the new projects, PUA costs could be reduced and operations streamlined, she said.

Masonwood West

The developer of Masonwood West, a proposed subdivision of 1,837 single-family homes along Hamilton Pool Road between the Belvedere and Destiny Hills neighborhoods, filed a request May 20 with the PUA for water and wastewater service to the area. Masonwood West is planned for The Hatchett tract on the banks of Little Barton Creek.

In a letter to Masonwood West developer Jim Meredith, PUA General Manager Don Rauschuber, on behalf of the agency, agreed to provide water service to the community but listed more than 20 conditions Meredith would need to fulfill before the PUA would commit water capacity to the project.

Residents cite concerns

Rocky Creek developer Don Walden addressed the PUA about Masonwood West's high density, calling the proposed project "overreaching." He said the possibility of runoff from the build would negatively impact Little Barton Creek and the Edwards Aquifer area. He said he built Hamilton Pool Road's Rocky Creek subdivision according to the previous environmental guidelines.

Army Lt. Col. Ariel Axelrod, a Rocky Creek resident on active duty, said in a prerecorded message that the prior measures help protect endangered species. He urged board members to require new developers follow the same standards required of other Hamilton Pool Road developers, especially in current drought conditions.

Belvedere resident Karen Schultz said she is against the PUA taking on new contracts to provide water when her development does not receive water on a consistent basis. She said she has turned on her faucet numerous times to find no water flowing.

"It's unfathomable to support another 1,800 homes when you can't get water to [Belvedere's] 60 homes," Schultz said.

Utility agency decision

Masonwood West attorney Bill McClean said the West Hwy. 290 environmental restrictions do not apply to the Hamilton Pool Road water line, and the planned subdivision complies with all of the enhanced measures.

PUA member Mike Murphy said agency engineers told him there is enough capacity in Hamilton Pool Road's water line for 1,800 more homes. However, once Sweetwater and Rough Hollow are built out, there may not be sufficient water for all the Hamilton Pool Road communities, and those developers will need to upgrade the water line once that occurs.

"It's a question of service and not a political decision," Murphy said. "Can we serve [Masonwood West] within our overall plan without harming anyone else? Do we have the capacity? Yes, we do have the capacity."