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News-Dispatch Volume XXXVI No. 44
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
75¢
Thursday, August 11, 2016
County to decide on jail bond next week BY CYNDY SLOVAK-BARTON csb@haysfreepress.com
A move toward a $108 million county jail expansion/renovation bond is expected to be made at next week’s Hays County Commissioners Court meeting. Commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting heard a presentation
that included the Hays County sheriff, district attorney, San Marcos chief of police and others in support of a November bond package. Hays County’s bond proposal includes various upgrades at the government center ($46 million) and $62 million at the Uhland Road jail facility. “It (the jail) has clearly become a money hole, if you want
to call it that ... a money pit,” Hays County Pct. 3 Commissioner Will Conley said. “We have clearly reached that point where we need to make these investments.” Sheriff Gary Cutler said changes made years ago altered the way the county did business when it comes to inmates and prisoner processing. The “diversion tactics”, as
Who are the players in the Dripping Springs wastewater saga?
Cutler called them, included using ankle monitors for those not needing to be put directly in jail and working with Austin Police to turn around evidence faster. Cutler said the tactics helped with overcrowding issues. But the jail – even with the timesaving tactics – has reached capacity, Questions now arise over
HAYS COUNTY On Aug. 2, Hays County Commissioners passed an interlocal agreement allowing the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District to develop monitoring wells in the Trinity Aquifer. Within the agreement, the county would allocate roughly $100,000 to BSEACD for development of the well, which could result in a revised Groundwater Availability Model from the Texas Water Development Board.
safety, not just for the prisoners, but for the public and employees as well, according to Conley, Judge Bert Cobb and others. Because the Hays County jail is not large enough to house all prisoners on site, the county currently outsources prisoners to other jails in the area, including Bastrop and Guadalupe
JAIL, 7
Teen killed in FM 150 wreck BY MOSES LEOS III
moses@haysfreepress.com
TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
PROTECT OUR WATER A community action group that opposes the city in its discharge permit request. POW claims nitrates and phosphates in the discharged wastewater could cause algae bloom that would “degrade water quality for up to 11 miles downstream,” according to its website. Also is concerned groundwater and water wells, including DSWSC wells, could be at risk for contamination.
Received an application from the city of Dripping Springs in October 2015 for a Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, which called for an expansion of the city’s wastewater treatment plant. TCEQ is responsible for approval or denial of wastewater and stormwater permits across the state.
CITY OF DRIPPING SPRINGS
DRIPPING SPRINGS WATER SUPPLY CORPORATION
Seeks a discharge permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) as part of its wastewater treatment plan expansion project. The permit calls for increasing capacity of its wastewater plant to 995,000 gallons per day, with discharge of treated effluent going into Walnut Springs, which is a tributary of Onion Creek. City officials say roughly 35 to 40 percent of the treated effluent would be reused, with discharge not occurring for another two to three years.
The DSWSC supplies the majority of water to the Dripping Springs area and to the Dripping Springs Independent School district. DSWSC wells draw from the Trinity Aquifer, which the BSEACD’s study says could be affected by the city’s discharge permit. As of August 10, the DSWSC has not discussed the topic of the city’s discharge permit during open meetings. The DSWSC has applied with the HTGCD to pump additional water from the Trinity Aquifer to meet the needs of the city.
DRIPPING SPRINGS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
HAYS TRINITY GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
Invited last week to meet with city of Dripping Springs and Dripping Springs Water Supply Corporation officials in regards to the city’s wastewater discharge permit. In July, DSISD held off on taking a stance on the city’s permit until the school board gathered more information. DSISD obtains water for all schools within the district from the DSWSC.
Followed the BSEACD’s lead and passed a resolution asking Dripping Springs to delay its permit to allow for more research. The district’s goal is to conserve, preserve, recharge and prevent waste of groundwater within western Hays County.
BARTON SPRINGS/ EDWARDS AQUIFER CONSERVATION DISTRICT • Passed a resolution opposing Dripping Springs’ proposed discharge permit in order to allow for more research to be conducted. • Was concerned the city’s permit could degrade Onion Creek as a source of drinking water. BSEACD sought to protect property values of downstream landowners and support aquatic life. • Sponsored a study that showed stream flow loss in Onion Creek, which it believes shows recharge of the Trinity Aquifer from the creek. As a result of House Bill 3405, BSEACD regulates what were “white zones” over the Trinity Aquifer. • On Aug. 2, Hays County Commissioners approved an inter local agreement to allow the BSEACD to develop a multiport monitoring well for the Trinity.
Deadly balloon crash claims locals BY MOSES LEOS III
moses@haysfreepress.com
A Wimberley couple has been identified as two of the 16 people who were killed in what’s been deemed as the worst hot air balloon accident in U.S. history. According to multiple reports, family and friends have confirmed Ross Chalk, 60, and Sandra Chalk, 55, as two victims in the hot air balloon crash near Lockhart on July 30. The accident occurred when a Balony Kubcek BB852 model hot air balloon crashed into a field near Jolley Road after striking high voltage power lines, according to a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report. All 16 passengers, including pilot Alfred “Skip” Nichols, of Kyle, were killed, with
According to multiple reports, family and friends have confirmed Ross Chalk, 60, and Sandra Chalk, 55, as two victims in the hot air balloon crash near Lockhart on July 30. the balloon “substantially damaged” due to impact forces and post-crash fire, the report said. All victims were found near the gondola, with the balloon found 3/4ths of a mile away, according to NTSB officials. NTSB officials said August 1 the company which owned the balloon, Heart of Texas Balloon Rides, had a flight scheduled to take off at 6:49 a.m. July 30, but experienced a 20-minute delay. According to a report from the San Antonio Express News, a source close to the
investigation said Nichols may not have seen the power lines ahead and may have been attempting to descend through a break in the clouds. To date, 15 of the 16 victims have been officially identified, according to a report in the Austin American-Statesman. Heart of Texas Balloon Rides, according to multiple reports, had a balloon experience a hard landing in an open field near a Kyle church in 2014. Two people were injured in the accident. It is unknown who was piloting that balloon during that incident.
One teen was killed and three others were seriously injured early Wednesday after a single vehicle accident along FM 150 near Driftwood. Authorities identified the deceased as Devin Dienst, 16, of Driftwood, who was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by Hays County Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Terry Kyle. Three others teens were seriously injured and were transported to St. David’s Hospital South in Austin. Wednesday’s accident occurred at 12:44 a.m. roughly a mile from Driftwood, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson said. According to the spokesperson, a 1998 Ford Explorer, driven by Derek Dienst, 17, of Driftwood, was travelling northbound on FM 150 approaching
FATALITY, 2
Fireman fired for sharing wreck photos BY MOSES LEOS III
moses@haysfreepress.com
A Hays County Emergency Services District No. 6 (ESD 6)/North Hays County Fire Rescue probationary firefighter was fired Thursday after an internal investigation discovered the employee posted “inappropriate photos” of a fatality accident on social media. According to an ESD 6 press release, the district began its investigation after they were notified of the photos being posted on a social media site. The photos, allegedly posted by an ESD 6 employee, were subsequent to a motor vehicle accident the district responded to Wednesday “involving a fatality and several other
FIRED, 7