County commissioners to consider Blanco 'No Discharge' study

The Hays County Commissioners Court will discuss and possibly execute the first Task Order as part of their conservation research partnership with Texas State University.

The county approved an agreement with Texas State in August forming a partnership to conduct research projects on conserving, mitigating, restoring and protecting the natural resources in Hays County. That includes both groundwater and surface water resources, important landscapes that provide diverse ecosystems and biodiversity, sensitive habitat for threatened and endangered species, and sustainability of ecosystem services for residents. 

The Blanco “No Discharge” Study would be the first project executed under the agreement. 

After receiving notice of the Direct Discharge permit application filed by the City of Blanco, which has potential down-stream impacts on water quality in the Blanco River and which communicates with groundwater resources in Hays County, representatives of Hays County offered to assist the City of Blanco in exploring alternatives to the direct discharge of effluent into waterways. 

The parties believe that an engineering study that confirms the viability of alternatives would benefit all stakeholders in the City of Blanco’s permit application, including downstream landowners and groundwater users in Hays County.

The study entails that the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment within TX State would work with the Blanco Water Reclamation Task Force (“BWRTF”) to fund work by Freeland Turk Engineering Group, LLC (“Freeland”), engineer for the City of Blanco, Texas. Freeland will analyze alternatives and options for the reduction of direct discharge of wastewater effluent into the Blanco River from the City’s wastewater treatment plant (“WWTP”).

The project is estimated to cost $17,250 and should be concluded Jan. 31, 2021.

In other business, the commissioners will discuss creating an interlocal agreement between Hays County and Atascosa County for outsourcing inmates. Atascosa county would house overflow of Hays County inmates as needed at a rate of $50 per inmate per day. 

The Hays County Commissioners Court will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday in the Hays County Courthouse, Room 301 — 111 E. San Antonio St.

Residents who want to address the court during public comment can fill out a participation/witness form before the meeting begins and submit it to the County Clerk.