ROUND ROCK – The Hutto Independent School District is taking aim at a proposed wastewater plant seeking state approval that would be built near Veterans Hill Elementary School.
A permit to construct the facility in the vicinity of the 500 block of Limmer Loop is under review by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Hutto ISD sent a resolution opposing the plant March 30.
“There is a general concern for the safety and health of our students and staff due to the proximity of this particular plant,” said Henry Gideon, Hutto ISD assistant superintendent of operations. “If there’s mismanagement or a leak, what are the potential harms that could occur with that type of treatment system? The treated affluent will still contain E-coli (Escherichia coli) and ammonia nitrogen, among other things.”
According to the district, the wastewater system could present odor and noise nuisances, as well as affect the health and safety of students, staff and nearby residents.
The discharge of effluent into open ditches along Limmer Loop and into natural tributaries or leaching into groundwater is also a worry, district officials said.
Company representatives could not be reached for comment.
The application states the plant will discharge up to 50,000 gallons per day of treated wastewater. The discharge route will be from the plant site to a drainage ditch, then to an unnamed tributary, then to McNutt Creek and on to Brushy Creek, which is part of the Brazos River Basin.
The plant will also contain a sludge pond.
The application to build the plant was submitted to TCEQ by 705 Limmerloop JV LLC, 13018 Research Blvd., Suite A, Austin, on Nov. 29, 2022. The business is listed as a foreign limited liability company.
A video shows the plant is part of a 19.4 acre residential project. The land parcel spans from Limmer Loop almost all the way to the school’s front parking lot. The video showed a ponding area at the proposed site of the plant, fronting Limmer Loop.
“The wastewater-treatment plant project in question is outside the Hutto ISD and the city of Hutto’s jurisdiction, but within Williamson County. However, it is our understanding that the county does not have authority to regulate or approve TCEQ applications,” the district wrote in a letter to Veterans Hill parents.
County Commissioner Precinct 4 Russ Boles confirmed the county’s hands are tied.
“I am aware of a wastewater- treatment plant proposed near an elementary school in Hutto (ISD). I am not in favor of it; however, Williamson County has no jurisdiction or control over this issue,” Boles said.
TCEQ spokeswoman Victoria Cann said approving a wastewater plant generally takes 330 days and there is still time for concerned residents to comment.
Once the review is complete, a draft permit will be written that considers public sentiments. A notice will be published soliciting additional commentary on the draft permit.
“At any time, the executive director or the Office of the Chief Clerk may hold a public meeting for a permit application,” Cann said in an email. “A meeting will be held if there is substantial or significant public interest in an application or a member of the Legislature who represents the general area in which the facility is located or proposed to be located requests that a public meeting be held.”
To make a public comment for consideration by TCEQ, go to www.tceq.texas.gov/ goto/comment and reference Permit No. WQ0016260001.
The permit application is available for viewing and copying at Hutto Public Library, 500 W. Live Oak Street.
“There is a general concern for the safety and health of our students and staff due to the proximity of this particular plant. If there’s mismanagement or a leak, what are the potential harms that could occur with that type of treatment system?”
- Henry Gideon, Hutto ISD assistant superintendent of operations
