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The installation of an irrigation system in the Caliterra neighborhood was stopped in Dripping Springs last week after residents reported irrigation heads being installed approximately a foot from their property.
The issue was raised with Dripping Springs Public Works Director Aaron Reed just prior to the Dripping Springs City Council meeting on Tuesday March 7. At the meeting, more than half a dozen Caliterra residents, many from Climbing Rock Loop, stood to speak during the session of public comment. According to these individuals, a recent irrigation system expansion threatened to disperse gallons of effluent water onto their yards — an action which they felt they were not properly notified of.
“I think all of us are in agreement throughout the neighborhood,” resident David Vincent said. “There is great concern that the permit is not being followed to the T, and also, we are not being informed as a neighborhood and as a community of what the next steps are. It’s a great concern for us; this is not good.”
Multiple city officials said during Tuesday’s meeting that they had no prior knowledge of this issue, and work on the system expansion was immediately stopped when they were notified.
“Caliterra is a piece of property being developed, surrounded by the city limits but not in the city limits,” Mayor Bill Foulds, Jr. explained. “While they don’t use all city utilities, they do use city sewer, so it’s somewhat of a unique situation. As a development district, they’re supposed to be under city regulation, but they didn’t submit any paperwork for this, so we weren’t initially aware of the irrigation system work.”
As one of the first development districts in Hays County, Caliterra differs in some ways from subsequent developments, Foulds explained.
“It was our first such agreement, and we’re seeing now where things could have been done better and why they are no longer done that way,” he said.
While the irrigation system expansion was designed according to regulations from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Foulds said he believed the execution was not respectful of residents and that the system would be improved before going into operation.
“I met with the developer’s team, and even they were unaware that the irrigation heads were that close,” he said. “The city is currently negotiating with the developer to take over control and maintenance of the system. This would put in place dedicated staff that can be held accountable with day-to-day boots on the ground and eyes on the system — versus a thirdparty contractor.”
While Foulds said he hopes for an answer in the next 30 days, he also said he wanted to reassure people that the wastewater dispersed through this system is Type 1 effluent. This means that, while the water is not safe for drinking, it has been treated to the point that it is safe for contact with yards, pets and people.
In the meantime, both Foulds and Reed with the Public Works department plan to monitor the situation in-person and meet with residents in the neighborhood.
“We want them to have a face and a name to talk to,” Foulds concluded. “We want them to know they’re being heard.”
