Some residents in Dripping Springs and surrounding communities are pushing back on a new wastewater plant put forward by Allied Development, as part of the proposed residential development Madelynn Estates.

On Oct. 6, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality held a public meeting at Dripping Springs Ranch Park and Event Center in order to address permitting for the proposed wastewater treatment facility near Woods Loop and RR 150.

The overview

The proposed wastewater facility, or sewage plant, would be constructed on the proposed Madelynn Estates subdivision, 1,500 feet away from Onion Creek and 2,500 feet from the Dripping Springs Wastewater Plant.

Proposed by land development company Allied Development, the plant’s permitting has been protested by residents and members of the Save Barton Creek Association and Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance due to concerns surrounding the discharge of treated wastewater into Onion Creek and potential environmental and public health impacts related to that discharge.

At this stage in the permitting process, only a draft permit has been prepared—final approval by TCEQ is still pending.

The details

At the Oct. 6 meeting, several individuals from Dripping Springs and surrounding communities spoke out against approving the permit.

One speaker, Mike Clifford, technical director for the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, argued that Allied Development’s permit request should be rejected partially due to “excessively” high nutrient pollution limits proposed.

Nutrient limits refer to the upper amount of elements like phosphorus and nitrogen allowed in wastewater—if too much of these nutrients are present, it can potentially result in harmful algae blooms, according to the GEAA.

Other issues pointed out were related to land topography, which Clifford said made the property ill-suited for a wastewater treatment facility. Clifford also pointed out the availability of an existing Dripping Springs wastewater treatment facility nearby the newly proposed one.

A TCEQ representative at the Oct. 6 meeting said that, at the time of technical review, there was no existing wastewater collection system that Allied Development could tie into.

Although Clifford pointed out that the Dripping Springs Wastewater Plant had already existed for many years at that time, the TCEQ representative stated that there was not a pipe system to the plant that could be accessed.

In response to concerns about density of a future residential development on the property, a representative with Allied Development at the meeting stated that plans laid out in the permit application illustrated a “worst-case scenario,” in which 45,000 gallons of wastewater a day would be discharged.

“It's a worst-case scenario 45,000 [gallons] a day,” the Allied Development representative said. “It’s actually a pretty small plant by any normal standards, and so we haven't picked a density yet.”

The Madelynn Estates development has previously been proposed to include 113 homes over 52 acres, according to Dripping Springs city documents and the Save Barton Creek Association.

What’s next?

Following the meeting, TCEQ will prepare a response to public comments that were submitted by the evening of Oct. 6, TCEQ representative Daniel Schroeder said at the meeting.