After receiving a robust response from Llano County residents regarding a proposed sand mining plant along the Llano River arm of Lake LBJ, the Lower Colorado River Authority set a public hearing and extended the deadline to submit comments or protests.

The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 10, at 6 p.m. to hear comments on an application under the Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance for the proposed Kingsland Sand & Gravel Plant. It will be at the Kingsland Community Center, 3451 Rose Hill Drive, in Kingsland.

“The business, to be located west of the RR 2900 bridge over Lake LBJ, has requested a permit to dredge sand and gravel from the lake for processing and sale,” according to LCRA in a news release on Wednesday. “LCRA will provide additional details on how to participate in the meeting, including the COVID-19 protocols that will be in place, in the coming weeks.”

The deadline to submit written comments on the application by Collier Materials, Inc., has been extended to Thursday, Feb. 18.

Robust response

As of Tuesday, “LCRA has received about 150 comments and about 40 requests for a public meeting on the application from Collier Materials, Inc.,” said Clara Tuma, public information officer for LCRA.

One person who submitted both a protest and a request for a public hearing is Llano County Commissioner Peter Jones. Jones, who represents Precinct 1, said that his counterpart on the commissioner’s court, Mike Sandoval, also has submitted a public hearing request to the LCRA. Sandoval represents Precinct 3 in Kingsland.

“That’s the only input from the county at this point in time. I think a lot of people have submitted comments,” Jones said. “LCRA is a key permit: if Collier Materials cannot dredge, then that’s the end of the project.”

Last year, the Marble Falls-based company announced its intention to construct the plant at the Moss/Miles ranch. Nearby residents who are opposed to the plant coalesced into Save Lake LBJ, citing concerns such as environmental, property values, recreational and traffic safety along County Road 309.

On Monday, the organization announced that it has retained an attorney to fight the project.

“Save Lake LBJ has formally engaged the legal services of Stewart Whitehead with Winstead PC of Austin to go the distance in opposition of Collier Material’s proposed sand plant on the public waters of Lake LBJ, an area lined with waterfront homes and valuable pristine Hill Country ranches,” according to a Save Lake LBJ news release.

Whitehead, of Austin, told the News previously that he is an avid fisherman who owns property in Kingsland.

"These are families that have been there for generations and have spent years and years of blood, sweat and tears, and money, cultivating the environment," Whitehead said. "They were devastated to learn that this project was planned for (2021). People are outraged…We're going to fight it every step of the way."

LCRA process underway

The LCRA currently is conducting a “technical review” of the application. The agency will decide whether the Kingsland Sand & Gravel Plant proposal “meets the requirements of the Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance…LCRA’s jurisdiction in this matter is limited to protecting water quality in the Highland Lakes and their tributaries,” LCRA told the News previously.

The LCRA on Jan. 15 notified Collier that it had accepted its application for dredge and development permits, triggering the agency’s public comment process.

Jones said that his comments revolved around water quality concerns, which is the LCRA’s purview, but he also mentioned other issues such as the potential effect on CR 309.

“It’s a ranch road that’s not in any condition to handle heavy truck traffic, and run-off from the road could have an effect on water quality,” Jones said.

Jones said that he supports the idea of a public hearing.

“Hopefully those concerns will be heard and acted on,” Jones said. “I hope that LCRA does hold a public hearing. People can make their cases and then it’s up to the LCRA and the other agencies to decide whether the arguments are valid or not.”

If the LCRA permit is approved, Collier then will have to obtain permits from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and, lastly, a floodplain permit from Llano County.