Dripping Springs wastewater permit advances

The city of Dripping Springs announced yesterday that one more hurdle has been cleared in its pursuit of a wastewater discharge permit. The State Office of Administrative Hearings ruled in favor of the permit, advancing it to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which will consider issuing a final permit to allow the city to expand its wastewater treatment plant. The city has been seeking a permit to discharge up to 995,000 gallons of treated effluent per day, which drew protests from environmental groups and others, including the city of Austin. Eventually, Dripping Springs reached a settlement agreement with everyone but Save Our Springs Alliance, which continues to oppose the permit.