Recently sworn-in Texas state Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, filed a bill Jan. 24 that would help the city of Buda move forward with a plan for aquifer storage and recovery, or ASR, that would provide additional reserves of water the city could draw on during times of drought or peak demand.

Buda city leaders asked that Zwiener support the ASR plan when they met with her in December.

House Bill 1044 would amend the state’s water code to allow Buda to inject excess water from the city’s supply through the Edwards Aquifer and into the Trinity Aquifer, which is located right below it; currently, only water that comes from the Edwards Aquifer can pass through. Storing the water in the Trinity Aquifer would allow the city to maximize its water supply by eliminating water loss to evaporation.

A 2017 ASR bill in the Legislature failed to make it to a vote, but lobbyists with Texas Solutions Group, which is representing the city during the 86th session, told officials at an October City Council meeting they are optimistic about the bill’s potential for success.

“Aquifer storage and recovery is an innovative technology that will allow Buda to store water in times of plenty, so that they can be more resilient in times of drought,” Zwiener said in a statement sent to Community Impact Newspaper.