Farmers Branch council adopts ordinance to limit groundwater use at Valley View property

The Farmers Branch City Council on July 7 adopted Ordinance No. 4,006 to establish a municipal setting designation (MSD) for land along Valley View Lane, a move aimed at limiting groundwater use at a former industrial property as part of a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) certification process.

Solid Waste Manager John Porter told the council the MSD is a legal measure enforced by local ordinance that confines groundwater use in urban areas and is part of a multistep TCEQ application and deed‑recording process. He described the parcel as "the old triple c property" and said testing shows semi‑volatile organic compounds and arsenic among the chemicals of concern.

Porter said the city has completed required application steps and the public hearing at the council meeting was the next step: if the council approves the local ordinance, the city will forward the MSD application to TCEQ and, if TCEQ approves, record the MSD on the property deed.

No members of the public signed up to speak during the hearing. Following staff remarks and brief council questions about human‑health and potable supplies, councilmembers moved to close the public hearing and to adopt Ordinance No. 4,006. The motion passed unanimously.

The action limits future groundwater extraction on the site and creates a municipal legal framework for enforcing the restriction; city staff said further regulatory review by TCEQ and deed recording are required before the MSD is final.

The council did not vote on remediation actions at the meeting; the ordinance is a land‑use/groundwater‑use control that supports the developer/owner in certifying the site under TCEQ procedures. Staff indicated the city’s public water system provides potable service to the area and that the MSD is intended to prevent private groundwater use in the designated zone.