Rep. Glenn Rogers requests public meeting on application to discharge treated wastewater into Hubbard Creek Lake
State Rep. Glenn Rogers has formally requested a public meeting regarding an application for a permit to discharge treated wastewater into Hubbard Creek Lake, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has confirmed that a meeting will be held.
The application by Peninsula RV Resort LLC is for proposed Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) Permit No. WQ0016276001 (EPA I.D. No. TX0143979) to authorize the discharge of treated wastewater at a volume not to exceed a daily average flow of 15,000 gallons per day. The domestic wastewater treatment facility will be located in Stephens County, and the discharge route will be from the plant site via pipe directly to Hubbard Creek Reservoir (Segment 1233) in the Brazos River Basin, according to TCEQ.
The RV resort is a project that local business owner Brook Hatchett is planning to build. Her plans are for The Peninsula to have about 144 RV sites, 10 cabins and several amenity buildings, including a clubhouse, marina office, rental house, check-in office, dog wash facility and a bathhouse with showers, toilets and laundry facilities.
Last month, a group of area residents submitted a petition to TCEQ protesting the plan proposed by Peninsula RV Resort to build a wastewater treatment plant on the northeast side of the lake in Stephens County. The petition was started by Donna and James Wade, who live across a small bay from the proposed RV resort and wanted to see if others were opposed to the application for discharging the wastewater into the lake. Donna Wade has said that she’s not opposed to the RV resort but that she doesn’t want the effluence piped into the lake.
With more than 300 signatures on the petition, the Wades sent it to the TCEQ as part of the comment process. They and others have also posted public comments on the TCEQ website (see the link at the end of this story).
The TCEQ application process provides an opportunity for members of the public to submit comments and complaints, as well as to request a public meeting for further discussion about proposed projects. A public meeting is just for informational purposes and is not a contested hearing. In addition to Rogers’ request for a meeting, several local residents also requested a meeting. Click here to see Rogers’ request.
According to information provided by TCEQ, the date and location of the meeting have not yet been determined. As of March 14, TCEQ is preparing the initial draft permit for application WQ0016276001, which was submitted by Peninsula RV Resort LLC. At the time the draft permit is filed, Hatchett will be required to publish the second public notice in a newspaper of general circulation, and TCEQ will provide a copy of the notice of the draft permit to anyone who has requested to be on a mailing list. A mailed and published public meeting notice will include the public meeting date, location, and the public comment period time frame. Additionally, the notice will be posted on the TCEQ webpage: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/agency/decisions/hearings
Comments are still being accepted on the Peninsula RV Resort’s wastewater treatment plant proposal. Public comments and requests must be submitted either electronically at https://www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/, or in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. In using either option, commenters need to reference permit number WQ0016276001. Commenters should be aware that any contact information they provide, including their name, phone number, email address, and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record and will be included in the online comment section, which is available to the public.
The same formats can be used to request to be added to the mailing list of residents who will receive written notices about the application and the preliminary decision.
The permit application is available for viewing and copying at the Breckenridge Library, 209 N. Breckenridge Ave. in Breckenridge, as required by current Texas rules. The latest version of the application may be behind the check-out counter and can be requested from the staff. Additionally, a PDF copy is listed in the links below.
The following links offer additional information about the planned resort, the TCEQ application and the concerns of some local residents:
Breckenridge Texan article: Local residents express concerns about proposed wastewater treatment plant for planned RV resort at Hubbard Creek Lake
KTAB-TV story: Potential treatment plant could dump wastewater into Hubbard Creek Reservoir, one of Abilene’s drinking water sources
State Rep. Glenn Rogers’ request for a meeting
Application for the wastewater treatment permit (10 MB download)
Comments on the TCEQ page about the application
Petition protesting the application approval
Presentation of Plans for The Peninsula from Brook Hatchett
