Woodcreek opposes Wimberley’s Aqua Texas sewer plan
The city of Wimberley is trying to send additional wastewater to Aqua Texas as part of the proposed Central Wimberley Wastewater project for downtown Wimberley. The city of Woodcreek made it clear last week that they don’t think it is a wise move.
In a resolution brought before the Woodcreek City Council by Councilmember Cyndi Jackson, the city stated it “opposes the connection of Wimberley’s waste to the Woodcreek wastewater system, operated by Aqua Texas.”
Aqua Texas already services wastewater from customers within the Wimberley city limits north of Cypress Creek. The expansion is planned for the area just south of Cypress Creek.
“Basically what we are getting at is that we don’t think that the Aqua Texas sewer expansion (by the city of Wimberley) is a good idea,” Woodcreek Mayor Bill Scheel said. “They have demonstrated, over time, that they don’t handle sewage responsibly… The experience of Woodcreek citizens with Aqua Texas is not positive, and as representatives of those citizens, members of council felt we can’t support an expansion of those services.”
Scheel was clear that the letter was written to the Texas Water Development Board to share the city’s concerns and was not a letter specifically to the city of Wimberley. The Texas Water Development Board voted later the same day to postpone a vote on Wimberley’s planned change in scope to send effluent to Aqua Texas.
“I am disappointed in (the resolution),” Bob Laughman, president of Aqua Texas, said. “We’ve been successful in proving that by expanding the customers involved in our rate structures we can hold our rates constant, and this is what it is all about. That is the value that Wimberley brings is continuing to spread out the cost… The key to it is we are also going to improve the treatment to type one, so I would think the city of Woodcreek would be encouraged by the opportunity.”
Highlighting the city of Woodcreek’s concern about Aqua Texas ability to manage the sewer system, Scheel said that, ironically, a sewer line break occurred in his neighborhood the day before the vote.
“We had a break in the sewage line at Cypress Point in my neighborhood,” Scheel said. “It wasn’t a serious break, but it was a break and the same line has broken probably seven times in the last 10 years in slightly different places.”
The vote was 4-0 in favor with one abstention. Councilmember Judy Brizendine abstained stating she needed more information.
In the resolution, there were a number of statements of concern about how the project could impact Woodcreek. The resolution states that the plant is nearing 75 percent capacity and “likely cannot handle any additional waste burden in its present state.”
Laughman said that the plant is currently around 60 percent of capacity and that Wimberley’s addition would not trigger the need for new construction on the plant.
“But even if it was, that is a good thing,” Laughman said. “It is a regional plant and that is what it is intended for.”
The resolution also stated the concern that more effluent could harm the waterways because the golf course, where treated effluent is currently sprayed, is over saturated and frequently moist. Laughman said there might not be a need to spray more effluent on the golf course because there is interest in the type one effluent that the facility would produce. He also said Aqua Texas’ permit designates other available land for discharge beyond the golf course that would be available if necessary.
The resolution also used water leaks from Aqua Texas’ water lines within the city of Woodcreek claiming that it is an example that “the operator maintains its infrastructure in poor repair, resulting in water line losses of greater than 25% year after year.”
Laughman said that Aqua Texas has invested $3 million in infrastructure in the Wimberley Valley and continues to balance infrastructure spending with trying not to raise rates.