Item 08 - ASR Collaboration Agreement - Community Feedback Part 2 of 4 Parts — original pdf

Backup

November 11, 2025 The Honorable Kirk Watson Mayor, City of Austin P.O. Box 1088 Austin, TX 78767 RE: Request for Reconsideration of Austin’s Proposed Bastrop County ASR Project and MOU Dear Mayor Watson and Members of the Austin City Council; I am writing to urge the City of Austin to immediately reconsider its plan to move forward with the proposed Aquifer Storage & Recovery project in Bastrop County and the signing of the related MOU. The people of Bastrop County could not have been clearer in their opposition. Residents have packed every meeting, submitted countless comments, and raised legitimate concerns—but their voices have fallen on deaf ears at City Hall. The root issue is trust. From the day this project was announced in 2021, Austin has struggled to earn it. A lack of early communication and an approach where Austin Water dictated the terms rather than engaged as a partner created deep local skepticism. When Austin did come to the table, it only did so after I filed legislation to restrict this project. The community meetings that followed did not repair trust or provide full answers. That is why not a single elected official in Bastrop County has supported the MOU or the ASR project behind it—a fact carries real weight. Crossing county lines to inject treated water into an aquifer that serves another community is not responsible planning. It is overreach, plain and simple, and it plants a permanent flag of authority in a county that has made its objections known. The truth is: Austin has other options. The City can address the almost 30,000 acre-feet of water losses identified in its own audit, pursue smaller but viable sites within Travis County, and manage its resources responsibly without imposing on Bastrop County landowners. Signing this MOU would commit Austin taxpayers to millions of dollars in spending for a project that faces unanimous opposition from the citizens of Bastrop County. I have already passed legislation to block this overreach once and will continue to use every legislative and lawful tool available to stop it permanently. Moving forward now would only invite additional roadblocks and waste more of Austin’s taxpayer dollars on a project that will inevitably be stopped. The Legislature has already demonstrated strong interest in clarifying how cross-jurisdictional ASR projects are handled, and any attempt to advance a project with zero local support will only accelerate that scrutiny. For these reasons, I strongly urge the City of Austin to pause, reconsider, and respect the clear and overwhelming opposition from the people who actually live above this aquifer. Bastrop County has a strong voice and it deserves to be heard. Sincerely, Stan Gerdes State Representative Texas House of Representatives cc: Members, Austin City Council cc: Members, Austin Water and Wastewater Commission