KODI SAWIN – CANDIDATE FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE HOUSE DISTRICT 19 – WASTEWATER

The Texas Hill Country and the people in Texas House District 19 need elected officials at the Texas Capitol to step up on wastewater. Yes, you read that right.

Hill Country streams are very different from those in the rest of Texas. Many of our region’s rivers and creeks are spring-fed and exceptionally clear. They also have extremely low levels of phosphorus.

Treated wastewater usually has much higher levels of phosphorus, which fertilizes plant growth. When it’s discharged into a pristine stream, it can cause massive algae explosions. This has happened before on the Blanco River and now on the South San Gabriel River.

Reusing wastewater instead of dumping it into our streams can help solve algae pollution. However, reuse can also increase the availability of water. Some Hill Country communities have already installed purple-pipe systems that let customers use recycled water for irrigating parks, golf courses, and sports fields. And a few Texas cities have plants that can purify recycled water into drinking water.

Only the Legislature can enact the policies we need to increase water reuse and decrease wastewater pollution. I’m a participant in the Wastewater Conservation Coalition (WCC), which is working to advance these policy recommendations:

Water Reuse

It’s better to reuse treated wastewater than to waste it. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) should create promotions and incentives to encourage communities and utilities to install purple-pipe systems, and to encourage developers to install onsite water reuse systems when possible.

Wastewater Irrigation Permits

TCEQ issues two types of wastewater permits: 1) TLAP permits, which allow treated wastewater to be irrigated onto land, and 2) direct discharge permits, which allow it to be dumped into streams. The Legislature should look at ways to increase the use of irrigation permits to keep wastewater out of our streams. TCEQ should also improve the location, treatment, monitoring, and reporting requirements for wastewater irrigation systems so that they’re reliable and worry-free.

Wastewater Discharge Permits

Some pristine streams in the Hill County have such low levels of naturally occurring phosphorus that the addition of any extra phosphorus at all from treated wastewater will cause massive algae outbreaks. The Pristine Streams Proposal would direct TCEQ to stop issuing new wastewater discharge permits on these rivers and creeks while continuing to issue wastewater irrigation permits. A version of this proposal was passed by the Texas House in 2021 and was considered by TCEQ’s commissioners in 2022.

Wastewater Infrastructure Financing

Many Hill Country communities are small and don’t have the financial resources to build advanced wastewater treatment plants. The Legislature should direct TWDB to create a financial assistance program aimed explicitly at communities needing help upgrading their wastewater infrastructure.