Speaker after speaker spoke out for and against Water Treatment Plant 4 during this morning's Austin City Council meeting. Council members are voting on about $300 million remaining in construction contracts for the plant. (Take a closer look at the contracts on the council agenda here)
Bill Bunch, executive director of the Save Our Springs Alliance, repeated his plea to council members to vote against the project. He thinks it’s a waste of money:
“This plant won’t make water, it won't make rain, it won't fill up Lake Travis. Instead it will saddle us to a course of waste for twenty years where we suck that water down faster and steal the money that we should be investing in conservation and reclamation," Bunch said.
City officials say the new plant is needed to meet projected water demands. Council Member Laura Morrison , who is running for re-election, drew applause when she stated this morning that she would not be voting to move WTP4 along. Council Members Bill Spelman and Chris Riley (running for re-electon) have also opposed WTP4 votes in the past.
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell told KUT's Erika Aguilar last weekthat he wants to expedite the contracts to take advantage of a "favorable economic environment." He said bids came in lower than expected.