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Hill Country Alliance | 1326 Highway 290 West, Dripping Springs, Texas 78620 | 512.263.9147 | Fax 512.263.3471
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July 30, 2019
Ms. Kris Hogan
Office of Legal Services (MC 205)
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, Texas 78711-3087
HILL COUNTRY ALLIANCE COMMENTS of SUPPORT to the TCEQ
Re: Rule Project Number 2016-042-309-OW: Amendments of Chapters 222 and 309 Relating to
Beneficial Reuse Credits
Dear Ms. Hogan,
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) plays a critical role overseeing the health
of our state’s water quality, and the Hill Country Alliance is appreciative of the long-term effort that
is involved in protecting this resource.
We would like to respectfully encourage the adoption of these proposed effluent discharge rule
amendments to Chapters 222 and 309 (2016-042-309-OW).
Communities throughout the Hill Country are experiencing population growth that requires the
acquisition of new water supplies while simultaneously increasing their effluent production. These
communities are conscious of the economic benefit of keeping their rivers, streams, and aquifers
clean. Those water resources provide critical drinking water, recharge aquifers that support countless
groundwater wells, support agricultural and domestic uses, and provide recreational opportunities that
equate to tourism dollars.
Given the immediate and future water needs of the State of Texas due to population increases and
increasing demand on traditional sources, beneficial water reuse should be optimized and given full
consideration as a viable resource; and, its use should be optimized in rule and in practice.
Given the value that fragile Hill Country creek ecosystems bring to real property and to the overall
economy of the region, all possible steps to protect water clarity and health including these proposed
rules changes should be put into effect.
Hill Country Alliance SUPPORTS the efforts of TCEQ to respond to increasing demands on water
supplies and decreasing availability of tracts of land for domestic wastewater disposal by crafting rules
amendments that will help prevent degradation of water quality from wastewater discharge and will
promote beneficial reuse of water.