The Bee Cave Bee

Travis County Water District No.17 has responded to queries about who will grant permits for their new Hazardous Waste facility on General Williamson Drive (which is part owned by the City of Bee Cave) and what public hearing process will be followed.

Deborah Gernes, General Manager tell us "the Lake Travis Regional Reuse and Recycling Center facility consists simply of a single small warehouse type building which will temporarily house collected unwanted household products like paint, turpentine, bug sprays, fertilizer, batteries, pool chemicals,  motor oil and antifreeze etc.

Once collected, these items will then be picked up by a licensed waste disposal company.  If there are any usable items such as latex paint, these items will be made available for free as recyclable items. 

The facility will be open sparingly at first and then perhaps more days as it gets going.  This facility is a cooperative effort of six municipal entities to serve the regional area.  It will provide local service for these types of items which would now have to be taken to the downtown Austin facility. 

Currently we hold an annual collection event in the school parking lot which causes a lot of traffic problems and is inadequate to serve all customers who need the service. As with any project, this facility requires permits from Travis county and the City of Austin.  Because it is a collection center, it requires registration with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) as well.  The project has already been registered with TCEQ, however as you may know, the permitting process takes a long time and we are still in the process of obtaining these permits.  We expect to have all permits by early next year.  There is no public hearing required for this process, however we have followed the notification process for nearby property owners."

When asked about what precautions are being taken to prevent drop off and accumulation of dangerous combination of chemicals while the facility is closed, we were told:

"This facility will be run by trained personnel who understand how to store and separate chemicals.  We will take precautions to ensure folks do not drop off items when the facility is not open, perhaps cameras."