Groundwater district holds meeting on pumping permit

Editor's note: This story has been updated as of Feb. 5, 2024 to reflect the correct spelling 0f the development name and the accurate details for upcoming public meetings.

DRIPPING SPRINGS — On Thursday, Jan. 25,  the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District met at Sunset Canyon Baptist Church to address the new pumping permit requested by Mirasol Springs. There were more than 100 people who attended to either support or contest the Mirasol Springs development.

The new development is 1,400 acres through Hays and Travis counties and would include a hotel, an event center, a glamping area, farm, swimming pool, restaurants and residences.

Members of Save the Pedernales and Save Our Springs Alliance spoke and contested the permit. Many requested a 30-day hold on the decision to create more restrictions on the Mirasol Springs project or no pumping at all.

Along with SOS and Save the Pedernales, many homeowners near the property were concerned their own wells would struggle again through the drought. Two homeowners claimed they lost their wells in July 2023.

Another one of the largest concerns is the loss of the Pedernales River.

In 2022, the area saw the worst drought on record since the 1950s and 2023 did not bring much rain to the area. Jacob’s Well was closed in the summer of 2022 and remains closed due to the loss of flow.

Katherine Sturdivant, education coordinator for Jacob’s Well Natural Area, reported to Texas Highways that even during the harsh drought through 1949-1957, Jacob’s Well never stopped flowing.

Mirasol Springs property was envisioned by Steve Winn, his wife and their two daughters, who assured the community they were there to listen and fix the problems that could take away from the members of the community who were already established.

Despite the many concerns voiced, the Winn family’s vision for the property is what they are calling a sustainable one. They claim their blueprint to the property plans is one developers can look to create more sustainable developments with less waste.

The group will utilize surface, reclaimed, rainwater, and at the worst case, groundwater. The surface water purchased from the Lower Colorado River Authority will be the main source of potable water and they foresee that it will meet 100% of their needs. There will be no septic systems at any point through the property and instead, it will use a facility to reclaim water and treat waste for beneficial reuse in landscape irrigation.

Rainwater harvesting is a practice they are already utilizing on the ranch and have made it a requirement to use this method for future residents, so no potable water will be used for landscaping. Mirasol Springs plans on only using groundwater when surface water is not available or curtailed, which would be considered the worst-case scenario.

The public comment period for the groundwater permit closed following the meeting. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will host a public hearing for the Texas Land Application Permit at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12  at Dripping Springs Ranch Park to hear more from the community regarding the Mirasol Springs development.