LCRA sets public meeting on proposed Lake LBJ sand dredging operation
County Road 309 would have to handle 100-120 truckloads of dredged sand from Lake LBJ a day as part of a commercial operation seeking permits to set up on the shoreline just west of the RM 2900 bridge. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton
A public meeting regarding permits for commercial dredging on Lake LBJ has been set for 6 p.m. March 10 at the Kingsland Community Center, 3451 Rose Hill Drive. The meeting will be conducted by the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The LCRA has also extended the deadline for written comments on the application to Thursday, Feb. 18, from the original date of Feb. 1. The extension came after complaints that the date was not properly posted where the public could see it.
Collier Materials Inc. wants to set up a dredging operation west of the RM 2900 bridge over Lake LBJ off of County Road 309. The company has requested permits to dredge sand and gravel from the lake for processing and sale.
The public meeting comes at the request of Save Lake LBJ, a group concerned about the impact of equipment traffic on country roads, noise pollution, and the effect on wildlife and the lake. The group is in part composed of residents of Comanche Rancheria, a residential area immediately adjacent to the proposed dredging operation.
The proposed plant would move 100-120 truckloads of material per day on CR 309 to Texas 71 into Llano. It would draw an estimated 425 tons of sand an hour from the lake.
In an interview in March 2020, Collier touted the benefits of sand dredging at the new plant, saying it would be quieter and cleaner than a similar plant previously proposed on Sandy Creek. Conveyor belts would move the sand, requiring fewer trucks. Also, no rock crusher would be needed at the site, Collier said.
The two permit applications — one for the development of a conveyance and processing operation, the other for dredging and filling — are available to the public at LCRA.org/hlwo.
In the coming weeks, the LCRA will provide more information on how to participate in the hearing as well as COVID-19 protocols that will be in place at the meeting.
Comments can be sent to HLWO@lcra.org or mailed to:
LCRA Watershed Management
Mail Stop L106
P.O. Box 220
Austin, TX 78767