WATER & ENVIRONMENT
What to do about water and its increasing scarcity in Hays County is a question local officials have been grappling with for years. Now, two separate efforts have emerged to tackle it, with similar goals but largely different participants taking separate paths.
Earlier this month, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra announced a regional “Clear Water Summit,” bringing together water suppliers, groundwater conservation districts and regional authorities to discuss current and future water availability. The invitation-only meeting is expected to focus on water usage, projected demand and long-term supply across the county. The summit was held Friday, with a media availability scheduled afterward, which came after the Daily Record’s time of press.
Now, State Rep. Erin Zwiener is launching a separate effort — with a different group of stakeholders and a more focus approach on data centers and local authority.
“The goal of this working group is to pull together from different parts of the community and different parts of our legal entities to discuss the challenges that are put forward by these data centers and other types of high water use developments and come up with some creative solutions,” Zwiener said.
Zwiener said the working group will bring together elected officials, nonprofit leaders and subject matter experts to examine how high-water- use developments — particularly data centers — are affecting communities in Hays County.
Those expected to participate include Hays County Commissioners Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe and Morgan Hammer, San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson, San Marcos City Councilmember Amanda Rodriguez, representatives from the Wimberley Watershed Association, the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, the San Marcos River Foundation, the Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association, the Hill Country Alliance, as well as water provider Wimberley Water Supply Corporation and Robert Mace of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, among others.
“Our region has been experiencing drought for years, and waterways like Onion Creek and the Blanco River run dry,” Zwiener said. “Residents cut back on water use only to see rates skyrocket or wells go dry as demand increases. Now, big industrial users like data centers threaten our already scarce water resources. Something has to give, and together, this coalition will create real actionable policy solutions to protect our most precious resource.”
The group is expected to explore what tools local governments currently have to manage that growth, as well as identify potential policy changes at the state level aimed at giving cities and counties more authority.
Zwiener said cities still have zoning authority and, in some cases, the ability to reject projects. The city of San Marcos recently denied a zoning change for a proposed data center, but that is increasingly pushing the developments into unincorporated areas outside the city limits, where counties don’t have the same level of control.
She said state law has limited what counties can do in those areas, leaving officials with few options when large-scale projects are proposed.
“You want to believe someone, somewhere, can say no if there is a proposal that really doesn’t work, and folks are learning that that’s just not the case in many circumstances,” Zwiener said.
The two groups share strikingly similar concerns but differ in approach. Becerra’s water summit centers on industrial water use – he highlighted the high water use of data centers – long-term supply planning and “improve coordination among water providers.” Zwiener said her working group is focused on “data centers, water use, and the authority of cities and counties to address related challenges,” looking to provide potential legislative solutions.
There is some overlap in representation between the two groups. However, they are made up of largely different participants. Becerra’s effort includes regional water authorities and water providers, while Zwiener’s group is made up of a wider swath of county and city officials, as well as long-time water advocacy organizations.
While both groups appear to be working toward similar goals, there is some tension between the two efforts, with both officials offering light criticism of the other.
Zwiener said she was “a little bit unclear” about the mission of Becerra’s group, adding that she was focused on bringing together people “who’ve been doing the work” and believed the effort needed a more targeted approach.
Becerra, meanwhile, struck a more playful tone in response.
“I am grateful that our rep has decided that my strategy, approach and format was actually good enough for her to copy paste,” Becerra said.
Despite the back-andforth, both officials said they welcome additional attention to the issue.
“The more people are doing, the bringing people together to talk about the very dire need to protect our drinking water, the better we will all be served,” Becerra said.
Zwiener similarly said she hopes the group can help build momentum around solutions, noting that water supply and rapid growth are issues being felt across the state.
