On February 4, 2021, the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) approved Electro Purification’s (EP) request to cancel the trial-like hearing where Hays County, the Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association (TESPA), and 13 local landowners were set to challenge EP’s application to produce a substantial amount of groundwater from the Trinity Aquifer. EP’s application will now be sent back to the Barton Springs Groundwater Conservation District (BSEACD) while EP considers whether to continue pursuit of a groundwater permit, signaling the possible end to the long battle to protect the aquifer.
EP’s action to cancel the hearing follows recent testimony from the BSEACD General Manager who recommended a permit for EP be reduced to 0.25 million gallons per day (MGD) with the opportunity to increase production, at most, to 0.5 MGD. After six years of public outcry and legal wrangling, the situation has been compared by some to David landing a major blow to Goliath towards victory for property owners living in the Driftwood and Wimberley communities of Hays County where groundwater wells are the primary water supply for homes, ranches and businesses.