A two-judge panel has recommended that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) issue a Draft Permit to the City of Granbury for the proposed East Wastewater Treatment facility at 3121 Old Granbury Road. That follows more than a month of hearings and submittal of evidence in which 13 raised issues were considered.

Judges examined the possible effects on nearby residents, recreational activities, livestock and wildlife, odor control, water quality, groundwater, and wells. “Granbury has convincingly shown that the East Plant will help, not hurt, the conditions that the Lake Granbury WPP blamed for high bacteria levels,” the judges wrote. “The East Plant will facilitate the Plan’s goal of moving residents away from the failing private septic systems that were responsible, in large part, for the high bacteria levels recorded in the coves of Rucker Creek. The flow of effluent will also increase circulation in the coves, improving the stagnant conditions that led to the elevated bacteria levels.”

The City of Granbury met its burden of proof on all 13 raised issues. The written decision is available at THIS LINK

This ruling is the latest step in a process that began in 2016. TCEQ requires the City begin planning to expand or construct new facilities when 75 percent of current capacity at the existing Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is achieved in three consecutive months. When that happened in 2016, planning for a new WWTP began. The City submitted a permit for the new WWTP in 2019 and the permit and construction plans were administratively approved by the TCEQ. Since property owners near the proposed plant are against it, the TCEQ granted a contested case hearing, which was ruled on June 20, 2022.

The delays in building the new WWTP have cost City of Granbury residents an estimated $15 million dollars in construction fees. Legal fees are approximately $375,000.

Granbury’s growth toward exceeding adequate wastewater capacity has been temporarily resolved with a City Council-approved building moratorium. An estimated $250 million in projects are on hold due to the moratorium.

A decision by the TCEQ granting the permit is anticipated in September. City Staff are preparing to begin construction immediately after a favorable decision.