Amber’s Angels’ Living Legacy
Little Shop of Horrors photos
Lady Tiger hoops bash LBJ 67-12
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News-Dispatch Volume XXXIX No. 17
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
page 6
75¢
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Hays Court says no to moving 911 center BY MOSES LEOS III
Hays County Pct. 4 Commissioner Walt Smith listens to San Marcos resident Frank Arredondo speaking during public comment on Tuesday.
PHOTOS BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
the majority of county leaders to avoid taking any Concerns over flooding action. problems at the site of County Judge Ruben Hays County’s new central- Becerra said he brought ized 911 call center facility up the item in order to in San Marcos led a handaddress residents’ worries ful of residents to voice over flooding issues at the their worries Tuesday. 911 center site, which is But an estimated $27 located behind Hays Counmillion to $29 million total ty’s Government Center in price tag to move the site to San Marcos. Becerra said a location in Kyle pushed he wanted to bring up the
item for transparency’s sake and for the public to “know I hear you and understand what your concerns are.” Several residents expressed concerns with the site location during public comment. Frank Arredondo, a longtime San Marcos resident, said the current location behind the Government Center is a “bad
‘Witch Hunt?’
BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
BY ALEXA URA/ TEXAS TRIBUNE
ELECTION LAWSUIT, 8
911 CENTER, 8
Pipe boring talks draw criticism in Wimberley
Civil rights group sues over Texas voter citizenship review
A Latino civil rights group is suing top Texas officials over what the organization says is an “election-related ‘witch hunt’” designed to intimidate legitimately registered voters by asking them to prove their citizenship. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in San Antonio, lawyers for the League of United Latin American Citizens’ national and Texas arms alleged that Texas Secretary of State David Whitley and Attorney General Ken Paxton violated a portion of the federal Voting Rights Act that prohibits the intimidation of voters. They point to an advisory issued Friday in which Whitley’s office said it was flagging individuals who had provided the Texas Department of Public Safety with some form of documentation — including a work visa or a green card — that showed they were not citizens when they were obtaining driver’s licenses or ID cards. The state put the number of registered voters who fell into that category at approximately 95,000 — 58,000 of whom had voted in one or more elections from 1996 to
idea,” citing a history of flooding. Area resident Les Carnes said he didn’t think the location was a wise use of money, adding any flood mitigation measures will be done on the “public dime.” County officials, however, said while flooding is an
PHOTOS BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
Livestock Show 2019
Thousands of area youth took to Dripping Springs Ranch Park for the annual Hays County Livestock Show and Expo. The event kicked off Jan. 12 with a horse show, which was then followed by the main expo Jan. 22-26. Competitions ranged across various type of livestock and included home skills and agricultural mechanics. Above, several Hays County Livestock Show participants quite literally flip the birds during judging Jan. 24. Left, Jackson Roberston, a Wimberley High student, received first place in the Hamshire competition at the Hays County Livestock Show. The judge said Robertson’s swine had a great build and stature, which won him the prize.
State rep pens new water storage bill BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
said. “Aquifer Buda is reigniting storage its Aquifer Storage and and recovRecovery (ASR) efforts ery is an at the legislative level by innovative supporting a bill meant technolto ease restrictions on the ogy that technology. will allow State Rep. Erin ZwieBuda ZWIENER ner (D-Driftwood) last to store week filed House Bill water in times of plenty (HB) 1044, which was so that they can be more her first bill resilient authored in times of The technology drought.” in the Texas House of Accordcalls for the Represening to Buda pumping of tatives. officials, the The bill is bill will alsurface or similar to low the city groundwater a measure to manage that failed its water to be stored during the supply in in an aquifer 85th Texas times of Legislative drought and for later use. session. heavy water During times In 2017, usage. ASR House is a technolof drawdown Bill 3333, ogy that was or drought, the first impleauthored by former mented in stored water State Rep. Kerrville can be used Jason Isaac, and San died before Antonio. to help meet it could be First water needs. heard on tested in the Texas the 1990s, House floor prior to Sine the technology allows the Die. pumping of surface or “This bill gives Buda groundwater to be stored the tools and resources to in an aquifer for later use. reduce their reliance on During times of drawgroundwater,” Zwiener down or drought, the
stored water can be used to help meet water needs. “Currently, the law is written to where anytime you drill through the Edwards Aquifer, the only thing that can pass through that well is Edwards water,” said Blake Neffendorf, Buda’s water resource coordinator. “Additionally, we can only use Edwards water to store in the Trinity Aquifer. This bill would give us more flexibility to store surface water.” Neffendorf said Buda has a contract with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) to receive 1.5 million gallons per day of water. During the winter, the city’s water usage is around a third of its allocated amount. Under the bill, the excess surface water collected would be stored and utilized at a later date. “The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD) is responsible for ensuring a constant and healthy supply of groundwater for our streams, homeowners and businesses in western Hays County,” Zwiener said. “This bill gives HTGCD the sustainable funding sources they need to be successful over the long haul.”
Despite ASRs use in other cities, experts are still working to understand the movement of water in an aquifer, which could potentially affect stored water. If the water stored in an aquifer flows to another location, it could disrupt efforts to store and pump in a particular location. “That’s the million-dollar question: how much movement is there in the water once it’s stored,” Neffendorf said. “Luckily, where we are located, the Trinity Aquifer is not heavily utilized. it’s also very deep and expensive to get to. For our purposes, it wouldn’t have an effect on the movement of the water.” If passed, the HB 1044 would allow the city to move forward with its ASR efforts. This stored water will then be utilized by the city’s water and wastewater customers, which amounts to a majority of its citizenry. “We are looking forward to getting the project started and we appreciate Representative Zwiener for sponsoring and filing the bill,” Neffendorf said. “Hopefully we can move a big piece of legislation through for the benefit of the citizens.”
As Wimberley seeks a solution for its wastewater woes, a proposal to bore a pipe under Cypress Creek is leading to consternation from environmentalists and residents alike. Those plans are part of a proposed wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) that could be operated by a third party. The plan calls for boring, or horizontal directional drilling, under Cypress Creek to accommodate a wastewater pipe. Geography plays a major role with the proposed pipe under Cypress Creek. If the city chooses to con-
PIPE BORING, 2
Permian Pipeline cause of concern for Hays residents BY EXSAR ARGUELLO A proposed 430-mile underground natural gas pipeline that’s to bisect Hays County has created worry among residents and is pushing officials to take action. Lon Shell, Pct. 3 Hays County Commissioner, hosted a public meeting Jan. 29 to discuss the Permian Highway Pipeline (PHP), which will cut through most of the Texas Hill Country, as well as western Hays County and south Kyle. Representatives from Kinder Morgan were invited to attend. The PHP, proposed by Houston-based company Kinder Morgan, is a $2 billion project designed to transport up to two billion cubic feet per day of natural gas from west Texas to the Houston area. “We will share information about the planned route as well as discuss environmental concerns, property rights and other issues related to the project and its potential impact on Hays County,” Shell said in a statement from the county. “We want to share what we
PERMIAN PIPELINE, 3