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Wastewater Purification
To protect Honey Creek and ensure appropriate distribution of the treated wastewater, we have gone above and beyond to address the issue. To begin with, it's important to explain where we started. In 2019, we applied for a discharge permit through the state of Texas (per guidelines and regulations from the state, county, and the City of Bulverde).
The original application permit was disputed by a group of people in the community. Just as we did when citizens of the community expressed concern about density, we listened to their concerns and researched other options. In response to the extensive public feedback, we withdrew our original permit request and converted our application to a Texas Land Application Permit (TLAP). On November 21, 2019, our TLAP was received by TCEQ. You can find more information about a TLAP below.
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UPDATE ** This month (May 2021), the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved the wastewater treatment operation for the development of Honey Creek Ranch. This approval was the result of significant compromise as we addressed concerns raised by members of the community. As can be seen in the permit, we are going above-and-beyond the requirements of the state of Texas to ensure the integrity of Honey Creek, and are proud to be setting the standard for future developments.
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How will you handle the wastewater?
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Wastewater from new homes will be treated on-site utilizing a state of the art wastewater treatment using Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Technology. This proven technology is in use in other environmentally sensitive settings and has proven to be more effective in producing higher and more consistent treated effluent water quality. The proposed treatment plant exceeds the stringent licensing for a development of this type.
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Unlike a Discharge Permit, the plan calls for treated and purified wastewater effluent to be disposed of onsite via subsurface drip irrigation of trees and native landscapes utilizing an 84-acre permanent green space to irrigate the development.
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What exactly is a TLAP?
A TLAP is one type of permit a developer can obtain to install a wastewater system. TLAP stands for "Texas Land Application Permit." It is an application with TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) requesting the ability to distribute effluent onto our 84-acre green space. This allows for onsite subsurface drip irrigation with high-quality water (and where no water leaves the property through discharge).
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Land application of treated wastewater effluent via subsurface drip irrigation is commonly used across the state and the nation.
Why don't you just use individual septic tanks for each house?
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The Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Technology we have chosen is a far superior process than the typical Texas Hill Country septic system. Individual septic systems have been widely used in the development of large acreage homesites. These types of systems have been successful at delaying the introduction of toxins into the watershed, but have not proven to prevent watershed pollution over time.
Given the environmentally sensitive nature of the development, we have opted for the more effective (and more expensive) technology outlined above. Importantly, the required maintenance of individual septic systems is left up to the homeowner and is largely unregulated. The wastewater treatment strategy that is planned for Honey Creek Ranch calls for strict compliance with state standards, and the results of water quality testing and monitoring are available to the public.
More About the Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Technology
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Since we applied for a Texas Land Application Permit (TLAP), we wanted to find the best possible solution for the end wastewater use. We found this widely used technology called MBR (Membrane Bioreactor). This technology has been in use for decades in the United States and around the world, especially in countries where water is in short supply.
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If you are looking for detail regarding this type of technology, here is a link to the Wikipedia definition and description - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membrane_bioreactor. We encourage you to read it.
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Here are a couple segments of the Wikipedia overview:
"When used with domestic wastewater, MBR processes can produce effluent of high quality enough to be discharged to coastal, surface or brackish waterways or to be reclaimed for urban irrigation. Other advantages of MBRs over conventional processes include small footprint, easy retrofit and upgrade of old wastewater treatment plants."
"The global membrane bioreactor market is expected to grow in the near future because of various driven factors for instance scarcity of water worldwide, which makes wastewater reclamation necessary. This will be further aggravated by climate change.[4] The growing environmental concerns over industrial wastewater disposal along with the declining fresh water resources across developing economies also accounts for the demand of MBR technology. Population growth, urbanization and industrialization will further complement the business outlook.[5] Contingent on their composition, these changes can be demanding on natural resources and pose unsustainable challenges for environment. Therefore, membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology is regarded as a key element of advanced wastewater treatment and reuse schemes and it is focused to grow towards a sustainable water management across the municipal and industry sectors."
These systems are becoming more common in our area. Here is a short list of locations we found just by doing a simple Internet search:
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Tyler Voss Middle School in Boerne, Texas
Vintage Oaks neighborhood, New Braunfels, TX
Meyer Ranch, New Braunfels, TX
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Another interesting thing you might like to see is this interactive map of MBR installations around the world. It only goes to 2018, however it is a great visual as to how much this technology is being utilized, especially in some of the most regulated areas and low water availability areas of the planet.
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https://www.thembrsite.com/interactive-map-history-of-municipal-mbr-installations/
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Currently, various configurations for the MBR process are being evaluated during our early development process and the final configuration will be chosen once the MBR supplier is selected.
