Posted: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:26 PM - 12,366 Readers

By: Robert Sharpe

Lake Travis is a local jewel and yet it constantly comes under attack by both those in our community as well as those located upstream. The latest attack on the metro area’s largest lake comes from the Hill Country town of Burnet where local officials are planning to more than double the size of their wastewater treatment plant.

Burnet dumps treated effluent into Hamilton Creek which flows directly into Lake Travis. The city is currently authorized to dump 726,000 gallons of treated effluent per day into the creek but has applied for a permit allowing it to dump 1,700,000 gallons per day, or 234% of the current permit level. The city claims that the impact of the increased effluent will be mitigated through the use of higher treatment methodologies as well as a concerted effort to use as much of the effluent as possible to meet local irrigation needs.

Opposition to the plant is strong not only in Austin but also throughout the Highland Lakes region where many are questioning the long term impact of rampant growth on the somewhat fragile ecosystem.

The city has scheduled a public hearing at 7:00 PM on February 4th, 2010 to allow concerned citizens to comment.