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Hays County judge introduces 30‑day pause on high‑water industrial permits; commissioners table item after legal warnings
Summary
Judge Reuben Becerra read a resolution calling for a 30‑day temporary evaluation period on new industrial permits projected to use more than 20,000 gallons per day. Residents urged action; county legal staff warned the pause could exceed county authority and trigger automatic approvals under state permit 'shot clock' rules, and the court tabled the measure for revision.
Judge Reuben Becerra moved on Feb. 24 for a 30‑day “temporary evaluation period” that would suspend final county action on proposed industrial projects expected to use more than 20,000 gallons of water per day while staff reviews water‑supply feasibility and updates procedures.
The resolution, read into the record by county staff, framed the pause as a precaution in light of exceptional drought conditions and possible public‑safety risks, saying the county must “evaluate cumulative impacts, review existing development procedures, and consider updates to county standards” for high water‑use projects. Becerra urged his colleagues to adopt the measure as a short, targeted safeguard. “In the great words attributed to President Franklin Roosevelt,…
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