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Council presses developer on groundwater proof, votes to continue talks on North Lake Acres preliminary plat
Summary
Council considered a preliminary plat in the town's ETJ that included a request to waive a state-required Groundwater Availability Certificate; after a consultant presentation and an executive-session legal consult, council voted 4–1 to continue negotiations with the developer while retaining the requirement for groundwater certification.
The council discussed a preliminary plat for North Lake Acres (three commercial lots in the town’s extraterritorial jurisdiction) and a developer request for a waiver of the Groundwater Availability Certificate (GAC) July 25.
Planner (speaker 13) explained staff comments on drainage and the statutory certification normally required for subdivisions. Ross McAngus of Collier Consulting (speaker 9), representing the applicant, said the on‑site standing well was unstable and that building a new public water-supply well would require engineering and a pumping test. He said a professional GAC typically costs $40,000–$50,000 and argued that for small subdivisions the waiver authority can be used if credible evidence of groundwater availability exists nearby.
Council members raised concerns about regional aquifer declines, irrigation demand and the long-term sustainability of wells. Staff and the consultant noted that the local Groundwater Conservation District and TCEQ rules guide allowable permit volumes and pumping-test requirements.
Council recessed to executive session under attorney consultation and returned to publicly direct staff to continue negotiations with the applicant while explicitly preserving the groundwater study requirement. A motion to continue discussions (and not waive the certification) passed 4–1.
What this means: council did not grant the waiver on July 25 and asked staff to keep working with the developer and the groundwater authorities; the developer may need to perform a GAC or provide other credible evidence of sustainable water supply before final plat approval.
