I35 Corridor, Hays County Offered Alternative Water Resources

by, Holly Ratcliff

As the I-35 Corridor continues to draw in new residents, its vital natural resources may be strained. Coastal Water Regional Supply Co., a company from Houston, has honed in on the area’s potential water needs and proposed a pipeline plan.

Coastal Water Regional Supply Co. would offer Hays County an alternative water resource. Concerned with the Corridor’s booming population and lack of recent accommodation for its increase in residents, Coastal Water Regional Supply Co. addressed Hays Caldwell Public Utility Agency and proposed the installation of a 92-mile pipeline from a well field in Burleson County southwest to Kyle, then south another 11 miles. This plan is similar to that of the recently proposed 142-mile Vista Ridge pipeline intended to supply the San Antonio Water System (SAWS).

Both the SAWS Vista Ridge and Coastal Water’s plans cross paths with the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer, “a major aquifer extending from the Louisiana border to the border of Mexico in a wide band adjacent to and northwest of the Gulf Coast Aquifer” (Texas Water Development Board).

Coastal Water’s would deliver approximately 11.4 billion gallons of water to the Hays Caldwell agency which is comprised of three corporations­­—County Line, Maxwell, and Crystal Clear—as well as San Marcos, Kyle, and Buda.

By comparison, the SAWS Vista Ridge would obtain 16.3 billion gallons of water, but withhold a portion of this amount to sell. At this point in time, no source has confirmed that they would purchase a fraction of the water from SAWS Vista Ridge. In fact, there may be an increase in competition as additional companies compete to sell water. This concept has received criticism, most notably from the League of Independent Voters of Texas.

Graham Moore, Hays Caldwell director, has expressed interest in a project of their own design. In 2012, Hays Caldwell obtained a permit to pump 3.4 billion gallons per year from the Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District and, in December, applied to pump 1.5 billion gallons per year from another nearby groundwater district. In addition, a pipeline from Buda to Kyle is expected to reach completion in 2017.

Despite these advancements, Hays Caldwell would still need to supply 6.5 billion gallons of water over the course of 25 to 30 years for the project to be considered a success. This would cost $1,500 to $1,600 per acre-foot, as opposed to SAWS’ $2,000 per acre-foot. Coastal Water has offered to sell $1,475 per acre-foot, but this price has not yet been finalized.

Coastal Water Regional Supply Co. plans to meet again with Hays Caldwell’s executive committee in the near future.