Council approves acquisition of land above the springs

As part of ongoing efforts to protect the Edwards Aquifer and the San Marcos River from pollution, the San Marcos City Council voted Tuesday to purchase 249 acres of undeveloped land from the San Marcos River Foundation (SMRF). The acreage, known as the Millican Tract, is near Palomino Lane and Country Estates Drive and includes numerous ravines that drain into the aquifer.

“We barely got this ranch,” SMRF Program Director Dianne Wassenich told the council. “It was very nearly developed, and it was one of the worst possible sites that could have been bulldozed.”

The city will pay $3,062,700 — which is less than the appraised value — for the tract. The city will receive reimbursement through a partially forgivable loan from the Texas Water Development Board for nonpoint source protection. The city will close on the land purchase first and will close on the loan in 60-90 days.

County records show that SMRF purchased the tract in 2016.

“We are not going to get all of our expenses reimbursed,” Wassenich told the council, “but that’s OK.”

She also told the council that SMRF would like to help the city in doing the work of writing grant proposals.

SMRF and the city have been working to preserve greenspace around the city, particularly in the hills west of town, to protect water quality and to prevent the flooding this region is already prone to from becoming more intense.