Austin May Join Effort to Buy Aquifer Property
Finally! A piece of environmentally sensitive property that won't be developed.
By Jacob Cottingham, Fri., Aug. 1, 2008
A large swath of environmentally sensitive land south of Austin could be spared from development. Several parties familiar with negotiations for a conservation easement for the Dahlstrom Ranch in Hays Co. – 2,275 acres of prime recharge land over the Edwards Aquifer – say the deal appears to be close to reality. Hays Co. commissioners recently approved a partnership with the Hill Country Conservancy that would apply for National Parks Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program. George Cofer, executive director of the HCC, said the application would "create a plan for the part of the ranch that the family has said they're willing to have public access on." The National Parks Service would then pull together various stakeholders to help craft a plan for the property. Cofer estimated the value of those services at a half-million dollars. The Dahlstrom family has said it would allow public access on 370 acres of the ranch. "It will be a natural area," Cofer said, not just a bunch of ball fields.
The HCC and the city of Austin are the most likely financial partners with Hays Co. for the purchase of the easement. Hays Co. Commissioner Jeff Barton has been shepherding the project since December. Austin City Council Member Lee Leffingwell, whose office has served as Hays County's contact on the deal, told the Chronicle he expects the ranch to come up for discussion this week during council's executive session. "I think it's very likely, if the numbers work out, the city is going to want to participate," he said. "Environmentally speaking, water-quality speaking, it's a very important piece of land." The city would dip into the remaining $15 million to $20 million in bond money that voters approved in 2006 for land acquisition. Hays County still has more than $15 million of its parks bond money. Although Barton had previously noted that the easement could run as much as $30 million, Leffingwell is confident the city's share won't break the bank. "The city's contribution will be well within our means, and we'll have money left over for other projects we're looking at," he said.
Cofer says the HCC is optimistic about the prospects for the conservation easement and that the Hays County Citizens Parks Advisory Team will score the project – a process required under the county's criteria for acquisition. If, as expected, it scores high enough to go forward, Hays County Commissioners Court will likely vote on bond money allocation in September. The Hill Country Conservancy would apply for federal funds in order to help buy the easement. Cofer said that if everything works out according to plan, the deal on the easement should close by the end of 2008.
Leffingwell said the potential partnership bodes well for the future: "If we can work things out on this deal, we can partner with Hays County on a lot of other properties in the recharge zone and leverage some money we have along with theirs and preserve as much as we can of the Barton Springs zone."
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