Wastewater services in Dripping Springs are slated to expand after a seven-year setback.

Dripping Springs City Council approved several items related to wastewater services at a Feb. 3 meeting.

The overview

Dripping Springs officials are expanding wastewater services, including the construction of a new facility. City Council took steps towards this project with the selection of three firms at the Feb. 3 meeting.

McCall, Parkhurst & Horton LLP was selected for bond counsel, SAMCO Capital Markets Inc. was selected for financial advisor services and Burgess & Niple Inc. was selected as the engineering firm.

Burgess & Niple will provide services related to improving various wastewater system projects, including the expansion of the city’s South Regional Wastewater System facilities, according to the Request For Qualifications published by the city.

RFQs are used to determine the most qualified candidate for a specific project.

Digging deeper

The city’s current wastewater facility is operating at full capacity, meaning the city is unable to accept new service connections. The proposed new facility would have the capacity to treat approximately 820,000 gallons per day.

How we got here

In 2019, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved the city’s Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System discharge permit. The environmental advocacy group Save Our Springs Alliance then filed a lawsuit against the TCEQ, asking the courts to rule against the permit, as previously reported by Community Impact.

After several years of hearings, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of the city in April, allowing the city to resume progress on the project. However, costs have increased since 2019, and the city needs $51.5 million in additional funding. The city is securing funding from the Texas Water Development Board.

“This is done though a debt issuance by the city, with the TWDB’s rates,” People and Communications Director Lisa Sullivan said in an email to Community Impact.

What’s next?

The city administrator will negotiate contracts with each of the three companies before bringing them to City Council for approval.

City officials expect the first phase of the project to be completed in the summer of 2028.