AS
AS PART
AS PART OF "BOOMTOWN 2040"-- WE LOOK INTO GROWTH IN CENTRAL TEXAS, AND ITS IMPACT ON
THE PLACES WE CALL HOME.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONCERNS IS
WASTEWATER - AND WHAT TO DO WITH IT.
FOR YEARS NOW -- THE KVUE
DEFENDERS
HAVE INVESTIGATED CITIES DUMPING
TREATED
WASTEWATER INTO RIVERS AND LAKES
- WHERE WE GET
OUR DRINKING WATER, AND ENJOY
THE OUTDOORS WITH
OUR FAMILIES.
OUR FAMILIES. TONIGHT- TERRI GRUCA SHOWS US
HOW THE FIGHT AGAINST IT IN SOME CITIES IS ENDING UP
IN COURT.
IN COURT.
IN COURT. THE SAN GABRIEL RIVER -- WINDS
ITS WAY FROM BURNET INTO WILLIAMSON AND MILAM
COUNTIES.
COUNTIES. 50 MILES THROUGH SOME OF THE MOST SCENIC PARTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS -- AND NOW
HOTSPOTS FOR GROWTH...
BUT THAT DEVELOPMENT COULD
POLLUTE THE ONCE
PRISTINE WATERWAY.
THE SEARCH FOR A SIMPLER LIFE --
LED STEPHANIE
MORRIS AND HER FAMILY TO THIS
SPOT IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
WITH SHE AND HER SON
IT'S NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT WE
ENDED UP BUYING THIS
PLACE. WE ARE OUTDOORSY WATER
PEOPLE.
FIVE ACRES ALONG THE SOUTH SAN
GABRIEL RIVER -
A PERFECT PLACE FOR THEIR BIRDS
AND BEES FARM AND
FOR THEIR CHILDREN TO PLAY -- OR
SO THEY THOUGHT.
13:25 THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A
PLACE OF FREEDOM TO
LEARN AND TO ROAM AND A HEALING,
HEALTHY PLACE FOR THEM IN
OUR FAMILY, SPECIFICALLY GIVEN
THEIR OTHER
CHALLENGES. AND SO THE FACT THAT
WE CAN'T USE IT AND IT BECOMES
ANOTHER AREA THAT WE HAVE TO TRY
TO KEEP THEM SAFE. IT'S BEYOND
FRUSTRATING 13:45
STEPHANIE SAYS EVEN THE BEES
BEHAVIOR HAS CHANGED.
I'D SEE THEM DRINKING FROM THE
DIRECT RIVERS, LANDING
ON ROCKS IN THE RIVER AND
DRINKING THE RIVER, WATER AND
EDDIES AND STUFF. BUT NOW I
DON'T I DON'T SEE THEM.
JUST UPSTREAM - THE LIBERTY HILL
WASTEWATER
TREATMENT PLANT HAS PERMISSION
FROM THE STATE
TO DUMP 1.2 MILLION GALLONS OF
TREATED
WASTEWATER DISCHARGE INTO THE
SAN GABRIEL RIVER
EVERY DAY.
YET ACCORDING TO EPA RECORDS IT
HAS EXCEEDED
PERMITTED DISCHARGE LIMITS 98
TIMES SINCE 2015, 15
TIMES THIS YEAR.
AND DESPITE MORE THAN 50 PERMIT
VIOLATIONS
CITED BY THE TEXAS COMMISSION
ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY. THE STATE NOW ALLOWS
LIBERTY HILL TO EXPAND
OPERATIONS TO DUMP 4 MILLION
GALLONS PER DAY.
WE WANTED TO KNOW HOW THE TCEQ
ALLOWS THIS AND IT TOLD
US IT IS MONITORING THE PLANT'S
COMPLIANCE
AND IF IT FAILS TO FOLLOW THE
AGREED ORDER SIGNED THIS
SUMMER -- IT COULD TAKE FURTHER
ACTION WHICH
INCLUDES ENFORCEMENT AND CIVIL
PENALTIES.
IT IS WHY STEPHANIE DECIDED TO
TAKE THINGS A
STEP FURTHER.
SHE AND HER ATTORNEYS FILED AN
INTENT TO FILE A
LAWSUIT.
3:55 SO DESPITE HOW
UNCOMFORTABLE IT WAS FOR ME TO
TALK TO A LAWYER TO BEGIN WITH
OR EVEN DEAL WITH, YOU KNOW,
ORGANIZATIONS LIKE YOU AND TRY
TO WORK WITHIN THAT SYSTEM. THAT
FELT LIKE OUR ONLY SOLUTION
THE LEGAL NOTICE ALLEGES THE
FACILITY HAS VIOLATED
THE ALLOWABLE CHEMICAL NUTRIENT
LEVELS IT CAN
RELEASE IN TO THE RIVER
THOUSANDS OF TIMES SINCE
NOVEMBER 2015.
"THIS RIVER WAS COVERED FROM
SIDE TO SIDE WITH ALGAE THIS
THICK
IT'S A PROBLEM THE KVUE
DEFENDERS HAVE BEEN
DOCUMENTING FOR YEARS.
RESIDENTS SHARED THIS VIDEO WITH
US IN 2018.
WHEN WE FLEW OUR DRONE OVER THE
RIVER YOU COULD SEE
THE ALGAE BEGAN WHERE THE
WASTEWATER
ENTERED THE RIVER
TWO YEARS LATER -- VERY LITTLE
HAS CHANGED -- YOU
CAN STILL SEE THE PRISTINE WATER
UPSTREAM
FROM THE OUTFLOW OF THE
WASTEWATER
TREATMENT PLANT AND AND MASSIVE
ALGAE BLOOMS FOR
MILES DOWNSTREAM FROM IT. THIS
IS THE SAME WATER THAT FLOWS
INTO BLUE HOLE
IN GEORGETOWN -- A COVETED
WATERING HOLE
ENJOYED BY THOUSANDS FAMILIES
EVERY YEAR.
"THEY ARE KILLING THE RIVER.
THEY'RE DESTROYING IT. AND
THAT'S REALLY
UPSETTING."
LAWANN TULL'S GRANDCHILDRE N
WERE BAPTIZED IN THE
SAN GABRIEL RIVER BEHIND HER
HOME YEARS AGO.
NOW SHE SAYS THEY WON'T GO NEAR
THE WATER.
PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW, THEY NEED
TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING. I
MEAN, THIS IMPACTS THE
GROUNDWATER. THE EDWARDS AND
TRINITY AQUIFER, THE WILDLIFE,
THE FISH. AND GARY PARK IS RIGHT
THERE. FIVE HUNDRED AND
SOMETHING ACRES. AND BEFORE IT
GOT
THIS BAD THIS TIME, THERE WERE
PEOPLE WITH LITTLE CHILDREN
PLAYING RIGHT OUT THERE.
THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM.
THE LIBERTY HILL WASTEWATER
TREATMENT
PLANT IS ONE OF 2,622 WASTEWATER
TREATMENT
PLANTS ACROSS THE STATE ALLOWED
TO DUMP TREATED
WASTEWATER INTO OUR WATERWAYS.
NEARLY 50,000 PLANTS ARE ALLOWED
TO
TO DUMP
TO DUMP TREATED WASTEWATER ACROSS THE COUNTRY. DEVELOPMENT HAS INCREASED THE
PACE OF THE PROBLEM.
AS MORE HOUSES GO UP --
WASTEWATER NEEDS
INCREASE -- LEAVING CITIES TO
FIGURE OUT HOW TO HANDLE
THE INCREASED LOAD.
2:00 IT IS TREATED SO IT'S CLEAR
IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE RAW SEWAGE,
BUT
IT'S VERY HIGH IN NUTRIENTS LIKE
PHOSPHOROUS AND NITROGEN AND
ONCE THOSE GET INTO THE WATER
THEY CAUSE ALGAE BLOOMS :16 ONCE
YOU HAVE THAT YOU GET A RIVER
THAT TURNS FROM A VERY CLEAR
RIVER INTO ONE THAT'S COVERED
WITH ALGAE :20
MIKE CLIFFORD IS WITH THE
GREATER EDWARDS
AQUIFER ALLIANCE -- WHICH WORKS
WITH
COMMUNITIES TO ENSURE CENTRAL
TEXANS HAVE
CLEAN WATER.
HE IS AMONG THOSE HELPING BLANCO
RESIDENTS WHO
HAVE BEEN TRYING TO KEEP THE
CITY FROM EXPANDING ITS
PERMIT.
RIGHT NOW THE CITY IS ALLOWED TO
DUMP 95-THOUSAND
GALLONS OF TREATED WASTEWATER A
DAY INTO THE
BLANCO RIVER - THE CITY APPLIED
TO INCREASE THAT
TO 1.6MILLION GALLONS A DAY AND
JUST RECENTLY
DROPPED THAT REQUEST TO
450-THOUSAND GALLONS.
ITS MORE THAN GROSS IT'S
DANGEROUS AND ON ITS WORST DAY
IT'S GOING TO RUIN THIS AREA
THAT WE LOVE SO MUCH :26
SOT
< LAWANN TULL 6:21-6:30
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RIVER AND
THIS BEAUTIFUL HILL COUNTRY IS
INEXCUSABLE. AND THEY KEEP
BUILDING,
FROM BLANCO TO LIBERTY HILL TO
GEORGETOWN--
CENTRAL TEXAS IS KNOWN FOR ITS
BEAUTIFUL SCENERY AND
PRISTINE WATER AND ITS GROWTH.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO IGNORE IT
ANYMORE.
BUT WHERE THE WATER FLOWS --
WORRY FOLLOWS.
THE DECISIONS MADE TODAY WILL
IMPACT GENERATIONS
TO COME.
-- LAWANN TULL TEXANS DESERVE
BETTER THAN WHAT THEY'RE GETTING
HERE.
TAG
HERE. TAG
HERE. TAG ON OCTOBER 30TH
ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND
DOWNSTREAM RESIDENTS WON A HUGE
FIGHT AGAINST THE
CITY OF DRIPPING SPRINGS TO KEEP
882,500
GALLONS OF TREATED WASTEWATER
OUT OF ONION
CREEK -- WHEN A JUDGE REVERSED
THE TCEQ PERMIT
THAT WAS ALLOWING IT.
THE CITY OF DRIPPING SPRINGS HAS
APPEALED THE
DECISION.
THERE ARE OTHER WAYS.
THE KVUE DEFENDERS HAVE SHOWN
CITIES LIKE
LAKEWAY AND MARBLE FALLS THAT
USE PURPLE PIPE TO
REUSE TREATED WASTEWATER TO
IRRIGATE PARKS AND GOLF
COURSES.
IT COSTS MORE UPFRONT - BUT
STUDIES SHOW IT IS SAFER
THAN DUMPING DIRECTLY INTO
WATERWAYS.
YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THOSE
STORIES AT
KVUE.COM/DEFENDERS.
FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS, I'M
TERRI GRUCA.
TERRI GRUCA.
IF
IF YOU
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU'D LIKE THE KVUE DEFENDERS TO INVESTIGATE--
SEND A TEXT MESSAGE, TO THE
NUMBER YOU SEE ON