A new study shows a Drippings Springs wastewater proposal would impact some local wells.
The KVUE Defenders first reported on this issue in October 2016. Dripping Springs asked the state for a permit to discharge into Onion Creek.
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The creek eventually flows into Barton Creek and into the Edwards Aquifer, where Austin sources its drinking water.
The latest study by the Hays Trinity Ground Water Conservation District used pink dye to trace the water to nearby wells.
At least three wells were impacted.
“There are more than 200 water supply wells near or downstream from the proposed sewage effluent discharge within a mile of Onion Creek. Four of these are public supply wells. If treated sewage is discharged into Onion Creek, the only water supply for hundreds of homes is at risk,” said Dr. Lauren Ross, P.E., Ph.D. in a press release to KVUE News.
The Dripping Springs Mayor, Todd Purcell, stands by the permit.
"Even if this study ends up definitively showing connectivity, we have no information that would suggest that any discharge of wastewater effluent would negatively affect wells or water that is currently suitable for drinking," he said in an online statement.
You can read the mayor's full statement by tapping here.
For more about the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, tap here.
For Protect Our Water, tap here.
If you have a problem for the KVUE Defenders to investigate, send an email to defenders@kvue.com or call 512-533-2231.