Roughly three years after a deal was struck to provide water to the Anthem subdivision, ground still has not broken on the development that could hold over 2,000 homes near Mountain City.
Clark Wilson, developer of the Anthem subdivision, is still awaiting permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), including permitting for a water pump station and wastewater transmission lines.
Once approved, Anthem, located in Mountain City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), would be able to receive water and wastewater service from Kyle.
“Kyle will provide an elevate storage tank for water up at the Anthem development,” said James Earp, assistant city manager for the City of Kyle. “This water will serve Anthem, Blanco River Ranch and North Plum Creek.”
In 2015, the City of Kyle opted to providing water to the 243-acre development in an agreement that also involved Hays County. .
The decision came to fruition after the Houston based company Electro Purification found an unregulated area of the Edwards Aquifer that was not under the jurisdiction of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District or Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District.
This would have allowed EP to pump as much unregulated water to the Anthem development at it saw fit. This unregulated area of the aquifer is now under the jurisdiction of the BSEACD.
The goal for the county, Earp said, was to keep EP out of Hays County as much as possible and allow the conservation districts in the area to keep a close eye on the Edwards Aquifer.
Developer Clark Wilson Builders reached an agreement with the city of Mountain City that would keep the parts of the property in Mountain City’s ETJ.
“It was important for us to keep this ETJ as transferring it would cut off the western portion of its ETJ that was also brought in many years ago with the request of the land owners,” Phillip Taylor, Mountain City mayor, said.
Kyle, however, is not providing the water to Anthem as charity. The city will still be required to develop the water lines infrastructure for the project.
Without the access to water from Kyle, Mountain City would have been forced to drill a well, receiving permitting for that well which would in term result in a less dense development.
“It’s a lot of good faith providing the water,” Earp said. “We have the ability to provide this service while still providing for our own citizens and foreseeable growth.”
