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Bastrop raises concerns about Austin's ASR plan as it upgrades its own wastewater treatment
Summary
City Manager Sylvia warned of risks in partnering on an aquifer storage-and-recovery (ASR) project with Austin, citing nondisclosure requirements and dependence on outside water, and described plans for a membrane-technology wastewater plant with 12 million-gallon capacity and new filtration needs under state rules.
During the State of the City, City Manager Sylvia outlined three principal concerns about a proposed aquifer storage-and-recovery project with Austin: site selection near an aquifer, a requirement that Bastrop sign a nondisclosure agreement before seeing maps and well locations, and a potential long-term dependence on outside water supplies. She said the council asked to see the relevant documents in executive session and was denied. "The council did pass a resolution not in support of," Sylvia said.
Separately, Sylvia described Bastrop's own wastewater strategy: moving toward a membrane-technology plant with roughly a 12,000,000-gallon footprint (vs. a prior 2,000,000-gallon plant) and noted that new state phosphorus limits mean additional filtration will be required. She framed reclaimed effluent as both a water-conservation tool (purple pipe for irrigation) and a revenue source, and also mentioned producing soil amendment ('Dillo dirt') as another potential revenue stream.
