In Fact Daily

Darwin McKee

Attorney chairs Water & Wastewater Commission

By David Ansel

Darwin McKee is the Chair of Austin’s Water & Wastewater Commission, where he advises the City Council on matters relating to water quality, service extension requests and budget. For five years now, he has been responsible for straddling the shaky fault line separating the business and environmental communities. It’s an important ground for debate, since the provision of utility service can help set directions for growth for decades to come. “Right now, I believe Austin’s biggest challenge is continuing to provide an inviting economic environment for business, while keeping our traditional concern for environmental protection,” says McKee. “Fortunately, over the last couple of years, we’ve had a period where we’ve tried to work together to develop manufacturing and commercial facilities, where the environmental and business camps have been working in conjunction, and hopefully that will continue.”

McKee hopes to continue to foster an atmosphere of open communication. “I got there (to the commission) at a bad time. It was still one of the battlegrounds between pro- and no-growth people. We were still thinking that growth could be stopped by mere denial of utilities, and there were intense feelings about it.” Developers would build anyway and be able to skirt city restrictions by using water supply districts. Water & Wastewater needed to find a way to be less heavy-handed. “One of the reasons that I’m serving the position that I am now is that people recognized that I’d attempt to be fair and make sure all sides were heard—that discussion would continue until everyone got their say.”

According to McKee, the utility is now on better footing. “I’m proud of the fact that we’ve started to use the Water and Wastewater Utility as a planning tool rather than one where one side controls the placement of water lines and sewer lines. Just the fact that people who are pro-growth and no-growth have come to view the utility and commission as objective sounding boards, where both sides’ messages will be heard earnestly, is encouraging. When you have that level of belief in the objectivity of decision making, it’s a good thing.” He cautions business and environmental leaders, though. “It’s a question of the commitment of the people on both sides to make sure the lines of communication are open and that things don’t break down into lawsuits continually.” As a case in point, he described the recent threat of legal action regarding the Bradley settlement, wondering if it could have been prevented. “The question is, are the issues raised in the lawsuit issues we tried to address at the board level?”

Keeping up with growth isn’t just about looking towards the future and dealing with service extension requests for new construction. Water and Wastewater must also keep an eye to the past. The 75-year-old Thomas Green Water Treatment Plant is a major cause for concern. “Staff is about to recommend an RFP that will provide us with an engineering study on whether Green should be closed down, should operate in conjunction with a new plant, or if we need a new plant at all.” Downtown revitalization has given the utility a chance to rehabilitate aging downtown lines as well. Additionally, construction of the $13.5 million Ullrich Medium Service Transmission Main, which runs from Ullrich Treatment Plant to downtown, takes advantage of CSC and City Hall construction and street closings.

Is Water and Wastewater keeping up with growth? “Right now, we’re not ahead of growth, we’re maybe just barely trailing it,” says McKee. “If we continue to do what we’ve done, we’ll keep up with it. We did manage to get ahead of growth in the 80’s. Now, we’re trying to keep it up but not get ahead, so we don’t have underutilized lines. We’re trying to direct growth back to the central corridor, to take advantage of existing lines, so we don’t have to go so far to reach the mains.”

An attorney, McKee previously worked with the Travis County Attorney’s Office and was for a short time County Commissioner for Precinct 1. He now works with Brown McCarroll. He’s been an Austinite since age 10, having graduated from Reagan High School and UT Law School. He and his wife Evelyn, who is the Presiding Judge at Austin's Municipal Court, have two children, John and Meredith. In his free time he enjoys travel in the family RV and reading.

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