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Hamilton Pool is a uniquely valuable resource in Travis County, and by the developer's admission, current development rules are inadequate to protect it.
TCEQ, Travis and Hays counties, and LCRA need to come together right now to devise rules that protect this one of a kind resource. And until they do, there needs to be a moratorium on development in the watershed contributing to Hamilton Pool.
This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on October 13, 2007 11:57 AM.
The previous post in this blog was Ranches at Hamilton Pool Responds to Slap on Wrist.
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Comments (2)
I think that a moratorium would be good, but it is unlikely. In the absence of a moratorium, we need at least a mechanism for motivating developers to go well beyond the minimum regulations in order to minimize the risk of downstream pollution. That's what I like about the current effort by Travis/Hays to force the developer to clean up what he has damaged. This is serious money. Here is a letter I sent to the Austin American Statesman:
According to Saturday’s article (“State Fine over Sediment is Unfair, Developers Say”), the subdivision developer basically blames the damage to Hamilton Creek and Hamilton Pool on Mother Nature. But there is no question that the massive sedimentation came from the excavation activities on his property. He needs to take responsibility for the consequences of his actions, which in this case means paying for the removal of the sediment deposits stretching over four miles from his property to Hamilton Pool and beyond. He broke it - - he should fix it. Or does he think that taxpayers should pay for the repair effort?
I greatly appreciate that Travis County and Hays County officials are moving forward to hold the developer accountable. I hope that the counties and the state (TCEQ) will cooperate to compel the developer to clean up Hamilton Creek and Hamilton Pool. As a community we need to impress on all developers the importance of protecting downstream water quality. This certainly includes taking responsibility when things go wrong.
--- Gene
Posted by Gene Lowenthal | October 14, 2007 12:36 PM
Posted on October 14, 2007 12:36
Say a court forces them to bear the full cost of cleanup. If the costs of the cleanup are high, the developer makes a calculation and if the benefits outweigh the costs, declares bankruptcy. Of course, the individuals behind Coldwater lose little. They just form more corporations and keep doing business.
The bank repossesses the RHP land. Now they have to unload it, at firesale prices. The bankers are smart and connected. They make sure their ducks are in a row on their ability to put as much density on the 1200 acres as possible. We're back where we started, except as little behinder.
So it's not enough to enforce strict liability. We have to have preemptive measures in place during development to protect the pool and creek.
Posted by hughw | October 14, 2007 2:32 PM
Posted on October 14, 2007 14:32