By Samantha Smith

With a price tag nearing $100,000, Buda is preparing to move forward with a study to prove if Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) is feasible. 

Buda City Council Aug. 1 unanimously approved City Manager Kenneth Williams to execute a contract with CH2M to perform a feasibility study for Buda to use ASR technology.

According to a Buda press release, the concept behind ASR is that a portion of water is stored in a suitable aquifer to be retrieved by the city for later use.

ASR technology has been proven in Texas cities such as San Antonio, El Paso and Kerrville, as well as in municipalities across the country to enhance local water supplies, according to the release. 

“A possible scenario for Buda is storing a portion of Buda’s Edwards Aquifer groundwater supply in the Trinity Aquifer during the winter with plans to recover it in the summer when demand for water is higher,” Buda Public Information Officer David Marino said in a statement.  

Joe Jenkins, a representative of the CH2M study team, presented council with a cost of $98,257 for the feasibility study. 

“It’s very specialized work,” Jenkins said, regarding the geological science required for the study. 

Jenkins said the city would need to pay CH2M a lump sum payment  that is non-negotiable. Even if council decides not to implement ASR technology, the city of Buda is still responsible for the cost of the study.

Brian Lillibridge, Buda Water Specialist, said the city has available funds for the feasibility study in the current budget. He said council approved the study in hopes that ASR technology will be a viable solution to Buda’s ever-present water needs.

Lillibridge said in a statement one benefit ASR could provide is drought resiliency to Buda.  

“Drought resiliency is one of the huge benefits that ASR can add to an existing water supply,” Lillibridge said. “The ability to store a large volume of water to offset pumping reductions is invaluable.”
Approval of the study comes after the city’s water/wastewater committee recommended moving forward with it 

“I’m very excited to get started on it,” committee chairman council member Angela Kennedy said. 

Kennedy also addressed the need for the city to be proactive about the city’s dwindling water supply.

“Making the best and most efficient use of our current supplies through water sharing agreements, water recycling and water conservation pushes the need for more expensive supplies further into the future and saves Buda citizens’ money”, said Kennedy..

Kennedy hopes the feasibility study will be another needed step in Buda’s future available water supply.

“The city of Buda has chosen the most economically and environmentally sustainable approach to managing our water resources”, said Kennedy.

According to Marino the study will be complete in six months.