Save Our Springs Alliance

The City Council public hearing on the proposed 2011 city budget and water rate hikes was set for 4:00 p.m.   Between 50 and 100 people showed up to oppose the rate hikes and the Billion Dollar Mistake on the Lake (aka Water Treatment Plant No. 4) driving the rate hikes.   Well over a 1000 more sent emails to the council opposing the rate hikes.

But the public hearing didn’t start until 9:30 – five-and-a-half hours later.  Of course by that time many people had left to attend to their lives and families.  Mayor Leffingwell then tried to shut down the hearing at 10, after only a few speakers had spoken.  The remainder of the council said no.  The Mayor then tried to tell the 50 or so folks who remained that the billion dollar water plant was not part of the budget and not relevant to the hearing.   Needless to say, that did not go over too well. 

The Save Our Springs Alliance and the Sierra Club today released their formal "notice of intent" to sue the City of Austin, Travis County, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for failure to protect endangered species as required by a county-wide permit issued by the Service to the City and County in 1996.  The county-wide federal permit is commonly known as the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan.

The Endangered Species Act requires that citizens give at least 60 days’ prior written notice before any citizen enforcement action is filed in federal court to remedy violations of the Act.

Today, Save Our Springs Alliance, Environment Texas, and UT biology professor Dr. Mark Kirkpatrick filed a lawsuit in Federal court challenging the City of Austin’s new $1.2 billion water treatment plant project as violating the National Environmental Policy Act.  If successful, the lawsuit will force the City to stop work on the project and consider more affordable alternatives that also minimize harm to endangered species, native habitats, water quality, Northwest Austin neighbors, Bull Creek park and preserve lands.