Local environmental organizations and county officials have voiced concerns about a proposed amphitheater and residential development in unincorporated Travis County, citing potential environmental impacts.
The Travis County Commissioners Court filed a resolution July 14 opposing the project’s Texas Land Application Permit submission.
The White Rocks Residences is planned to be off Highway 71 near southwest Austin. Plans for the area include an outdoor performance venue seating 10,000 people, an indoor performance venue seating 1,500 people, a luxury hotel and residential condos.
Travis County has argued the development could negatively affect local waterways, most notably, the adjacent Barton Creek Habitat Preserve. The preserve includes over 4,000 acres of nature, with water flowing to Barton Springs and later replenishing the Edwards Aquifer, a large source of drinking water for Central Texas.
White Rocks Entertainment LLC did not return the Texan’s request for comment.
White Rocks Entertainment LLC filed for 120,000 gallons of wastewater discharge per day, which Travis County has deemed insufficient for a development of that size, as that would cover only the residential condos.
Commissioner Ann Howard of Travis County Precinct Three said this amount of wastewater does not reflect the sheer amount of other things the company plans to build.
“They’re not mentioning the hotel. They’re not mentioning the outdoor theater or the indoor theater. They’re not mentioning the distillery,” Howard said. “The permit they’re applying for doesn’t match, and so that just tells me that they’re not being super transparent.”
Separate from the resolution, Travis County filed a request for a hearing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state agency dedicated to public health and natural resources. The Save Our Springs Alliance and The Nature Conservancy also filed separate requests for hearings.
The Save Our Springs Alliance is a nonprofit advocacy organization for Barton Springs, Edwards Aquifer and Hill Country wildlife.
Victoria Rose, a staff attorney for the alliance, said the organization is concerned that due to the grade of the slopes on the property and the soil being unsuitable for irrigation, wastewater from the development will create runoff into Barton Creek.
“Since there’s no limit on phosphorus or nitrogen (runoff) in the draft permit, we’re concerned that once the water gets into the creek, it’ll spur excess algae growth in the water,” Rose said.
In a statement to CBS Austin, White Rocks Entertainment LLC wrote that the development will prioritize sustainability and use a closed-loop system to achieve 100% water reuse.
“Our closed-loop system ensures zero discharge into municipal systems … we’ve prioritized the health of the Preserve above all else,” White Rocks Entertainment LLC wrote.
The Nature Conservancy, the organization managing the Barton Creek Habitat Preserve, has also expressed concerns.
Dan Snodgrass, Texas director of land protection and stewardship for the conservancy, said the organization is concerned about the impacts of light, noise and general traffic that come with a development that large, especially on species indigenous to the area.
One of those species is the Golden-cheeked Warbler, an endangered migratory bird found only in the Texas Hill Country, Snodgrass said.
“(The effect of light pollution) is certainly more pronounced in migratory species,” Snodgrass said. “Bright lights like that certainly have the potential to confuse them and can certainly be harmful.”
The next step for the company is a preliminary hearing with the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Within 180 days of the earliest request, the office will hold a contested case hearing with parties that filed them.