SENATE BILL 483 SIGNED INTO LAW BY GOVERNOR ABBOTT
Bill Simplifies Process for City of Buda’s Aquifer Storage Recovery Pilot Well
On Monday, June 10, Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 483 into law. Senate Bill 483 is particularly impactful as it relates to the City’s future Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) pilot well. The City originally introduced the legislation during the 2017 Legislative Session.
“We really appreciate the hard work of Senator Donna Campbell and Representative Erin Zwiener to see this come to fruition,” said Water Resources Coordinator Blake Neffendorf.
Senate Bill 483 modifies outdated rules that only allowed native Edwards Aquifer to pass through the Edwards Aquifer for storage in another aquifer formation. The new legislation permits all sources of potable water to pass through the Edwards Aquifer for storage in the Trinity Aquifer. The potable water is required to be sourced from a public water system, and part of an engineered aquifer storage and recovery facility.
“This provides the City with more storage options and helps reduce the cost of an ASR system by increasing our ability to store a larger volume of water,” said Neffendorf.
In the fall, the City will drill an ASR well near the Garlic Creek Booster Station and Well 5. At the same, this will allow us to perform facility upgrades at the Garlic Creek Booster Station.
Three other cities in Texas are successfully using ASR (San Antonio, Kerrville, El Paso) to have a resilient water supply during droughts and high demands. The City of Buda began exploring ASR back in 2015 as a possibility to enhance the water supply and hired a consultant to conduct an ASR Feasibility Study in 2016.
The City will work with consultants, HDR Inc., to finalize the design while the permitting process is ongoing.
