We had a meeting last night with Joel Robuck who is developing Formby West property (development is to be called "Hamilton 1").

Ignoring the pleas of Hamilton Pool Road residents and hundreds of citizens, the LCRA board voted unanimously to direct the staff to complete the water pipeline contract with the landowners.

"Growth is inevitable" said several members of the board, ignoring the distinction between growth and sprawl....

More than 500 individuals have signed the online petition to stop the HPR water line. Thanks so much! (If you haven't yet signed, it's not too late: sign it now).

Here is the list of signers ( 6:30 p.m. Monday) ...

Austin City Councilman Darryl Slusher has appealed to the LCRA board to hold off approving the pipeline contracts until regional planning efforts complete.

You face a decision tomorrow that will have a profound impact on the future of the Texas Hill Country around Austin. Your decision could be the most important factor in the future of this portion of the Edwards Aquifer, Barton Springs and other creeks and streams that are the lifeblood of the beloved Hill Country in this region.

Below is the full text of his letter to the board....

There was a press conference this afternoon that started at LCRA HQ and progressed on to Damian Priour's house. Channel 36 covered it. The idea was to "announce" the formation of the Hill Country Coalition and to draw attention to the LCRA/HPR issue and next Tuesday’s board meeting.

Thanks to SOS for setting up the press conference, and thanks to all of our friends who attended.

Dear LCRA Board Members:

On behalf of Save Our Springs Alliance, I respectfully submit to you concerns we have about a proposal to extend LCRA water service out Hamilton Pool Road in Western Travis County through construction of a new water line to be paid for by private interests. Further, Save Our Springs Alliance would like to register with you our request that you not approve the proposed extension of water service....

Gene Lowenthal submitted the following to the LCRA Water Forum newsletter, on behalf of HPRSCC:

I appreciate the invitation from the LCRA to contribute a guest editorial to the Water Forum. I’m writing on behalf of the Hamilton Pool Road Scenic Corridor Coalition (HPRSCC), a neighborhood organization that was formed in response to the proposed water line for Hamilton Pool Road and the proposed subdivision developments that would be enabled by the availability of LCRA water. The LCRA’s special Board meeting on December 7^th means a lot to us....

At the Southwest Travis County Advisory Panel meeting last night we heard from several conservation developers/planners.

Mike Ridley says that it is important to take into consideration that in the Hill Country, there is typically only 50% land use efficiency due to the terrain. He also said that the real endangered species in the Hill Country is the soil. There is rarely more than 8 inches of it, and once it washes into the creek/river/lake it is gone.

Kent Butler, a professor at UT, talked about his (and his student's) in-depth study project of Rocky Creek Ranch funded by Rebecca Hudson and the LCRA. Among other things, Kent said that the carrying capacity of the Rocky Creek Ranch site is about 230 homes.

Yet the plat filed with the County indicates 468 homes, double the carrying capacity. Murfee Engineering designed the site to be compliant with the USFWS September 2000 guidelines ("Fish"). Yet even if Kent is off by 50%, complying with Fish still allows a design way above the carrying capacity of land in the Hill Country