State rep calls for meeting on private dam to be closer to impact

Texas state Rep. Andrew Murr is requesting a second public meeting on a proposed private dam on the South Llano River to be held closer to the people the project would affect the most.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality scheduled an Aug. 10 public meeting on the dam in Rocksprings, a remote city in Edwards County that is over 100 miles from Llano and many of the people who would be greatly impacted by the dam. 

The proposed dam would be built deep in Edwards County but impede the flow of the river across several counties, impacting downstream communities such as Junction and Llano. Both depend on the Llano River for water. The river also supplies a significant amount of water to lakes LBJ, Marble Falls, and Travis.

“I have been contacted by representatives of several large groups planning to attend the (Aug. 10) public meeting from Kimble, Mason, and Llano counties,” Murr wrote in his July 12 letter to the TCEQ asking for a second meeting. “The groups represent affected landowners and interested parties from the immediate counties downstream. These constituents have voiced concerns regarding this public meeting being held at such a remote location at night with a start time of 6 p.m.”

Llano County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jerry Don Moss urged residents in Llano and Burnet counties to attend the Rocksprings hearing anyway. 

“I can’t stress enough how important it is for the people of Llano to get involved,”  he told DailyTrib.com. 

Moss’ precinct includes the city of Llano, and he sees the dam as a potential threat to communities that rely on the river. He noted that it isn’t just about this dam specifically; it is about all of the future dams that could come if this one is approved. 

“If you’re a landowner and you can have your own private lake, why wouldn’t you?” he said. “The point is to keep that from happening.”

Murr (R-Junction) represents 16 counties in Central Texas, including Edwards, Kimble, Mason, and Llano, which together contain the full length of the Llano River. He asked for a second meeting to be held closer to Llano and Kimble counties. 

The private dam is proposed for a remote ranch in Edwards County. None of the communities in Edwards depend on the river the same way downstream communities do. Rocksprings is the only community even close to the South Llano River in Edwards County, but it gets its drinking water from the Edwards Aquifer. 

The Aug. 10 meeting is 125 miles from the city of Llano and 145 miles from Kingsland, which likely have more at stake regarding the dam than communities in Edwards County. The city of Llano gets its water exclusively from the Llano River, while Kingsland relies on both the Llano and Colorado rivers, which empty into Lake LBJ, for tourism and drinking water.  

The application for the dam comes from Waterstone Creek LLC, a private ranch that spans a narrow portion of the South Llano River. The proposed dam would impound 12.02 acre-feet of water for recreational purposes, creating a small lake for the landowner. For perspective, the city of Llano has a 700 acre-foot lake to supply drinking water for its population, which stands at about 3,400 people.

Comments can be sent until the actual meeting. Submit comments electronically on the TCEQ website at this link. Enter the following in the search field to find the specific permit: WRPERM 13524. Comments also can be sent by mail to the Office of the Chief Clerk, TCEQ, Mail Code MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, TX 78711-3087. 

To learn more about the Waterstone Creek permit application and its potential impacts, visit the Llano River Watershed Alliance website, which has dedicated information pertaining to the dam, the permit application, and what can be done to stop it.

dakota@thepicayune.com