Commissioners to hold special meeting on TTC
Will address county's resolution against TTC and LCRA plan to sell water out of local basin
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

Ready to take the kind of stand that would have done the Heroes of the Texas Revolution proud, Wharton County Commissioners Court has scheduled a special called meeting based on defending property and water rights for Friday, March 7.

The agenda has only two items, a discussion on the wording of a new resolution addressing the I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor and on the Lower Colorado River Authority seeking a permit to move water out of the local river basin.

Wharton County Judge John Murrile said the TTC discussion will be to finalize the wording for a resolution to be sent to state and federal officials opposing the proposed project.

"We want to meet with the cities and develop a resolution that all can adopt," the judge said.

"The idea is that if the county and cities pass the same resolution it will have more impact."

Talking water, Murrile said he plans to specifically address water transfer permit 5677, which is a request from the LCRA to sell water outside the river basin.

"They want to sell water to Leander, Cedar Park and Round Rock, which are all in the Brazos River Basin," Murrile said.

"And under Texas law, they don't have to have a public hearing to sell water outside the district. But I've been assured by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and State Senator Glenn Hegar that there will be some public comment."

Murrile said that part of the LCRA arrangement with the cities would be to return effluent water to the Colorado River, which would require public hearings.

In addition, Murrile said the plan also calls for the construction of some underground pipelines which also will have to be discussed publicly.

While the county has a potential ally in opposing the plan with DELTA - Don't Empty Lake Travis Association - he said the county's concerns are very different from the association's.

"My concern is the water coming down the river and not if they have to walk 10 feet past their boat ramp to get wet," Murrile said.

"When the SAWS people were down here none of them were down here in opposition. But part of the promotion for the SAWS project was that they would have to leave the upper lakes fuller and I don't see that happening if they are selling water out of the basin."

Murrile added the region is currently going through a drought cycle that is making water resources even more scarce and that inaccurate information is being used as the basis for LCRA's proposals.

"They are saying that water use is only going to increase 10 percent over the next 10 years and that's just not right.

"I feel the Colorado River is a resource that belongs to Wharton County and we should have the same access to it for industrial and recreational use as anyone else, including Austin.

"We're the forgotten child and I'm not going to stand for that. And I've got Matagorda County lined up right behind us.

"My grandkids are going to need that water as much as the people on Lake Travis and I'm going to protect it for them."