MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — A Waco farmer says a proposed wastewater treatment plant near his Chalk Bluff property could contaminate his well and end his organic pecan business.
- The City of Waco is seeking to annex land near a Chalk Bluff neighborhood, where it could potentially build a wastewater treatment plant.
- Chalk Bluff farmer Mark Blanpied says runoff or drainage from a potential plant could contaminate his well and his organic pecan orchard, which has been his family's livelihood since the 1980s.
- Blanpied says losing his organic certification would likely force him to shut down his operation entirely, and neighbors on Buster Chatham Road could face increased traffic and odor if construction begins in 2030.
- The city has clarified that the annexation vote does not guarantee a wastewater treatment plant will be built; City Council will hear the proposal at its Aug. 18 meeting.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A Waco annexation proposal has an organic pecan farmer worried about the future of his family's farm.
Mark Blanpied and his family have grown organic pecans on their Chalk Bluff farm since the 1980s. The City of Waco is looking to annex land it purchased for $4,266,153 in 2023 that sits directly across the fence line from Blanpied's property.
The city could potentially place a wastewater treatment plant on that land, though the annexation vote does not guarantee a plant will be built.
Blanpied said any runoff or drainage that spills onto his property would contaminate his well and his orchard, Rascoe Pecans. He uses water from a tank on his property to hydrate his goats and spray his pecan trees.
"And once those chemicals are in this property, I can no longer call my pecans organically grown pecans," Blanpied said.
Blanpied said organic pecans bring in more profit than non-organic, putting the future of his business in jeopardy if a plant is built.
"I'd probably stop. I'd probably have to stop once an event like that happened," Blanpied said.
If the city begins construction of a wastewater treatment plant in 2030, Blanpied said his neighbors on Buster Chatham Road would also feel the effects.
"They have to deal with the smell. The traffic is going to get bad, um, during the construction phase," Blanpied said.
The City of Waco released a statement saying the annexation proposal and any future wastewater treatment plant are separate decisions.
"The proposed annexation of the Chalk Bluff property is separate from any decision regarding a future wastewater treatment plant. The City is pursuing annexation because it owns the property, not because a decision has been made to construct a facility there," the statement said.
The city said the Waco City Council has not approved construction of a wastewater treatment plant on the property, authorized design of a facility, or directed staff to submit a permit application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
"Because no project has been approved, there are no finalized engineering plans or drainage designs to evaluate, and the City has not developed project-specific spill or drainage mitigation plans for this site," the statement said.
The city also said it has not had project-specific discussions with Blanpied regarding impacts from a wastewater treatment plant because no such project has been authorized.
"If the City Council chooses to pursue a wastewater treatment plant at this location in the future, the project would undergo a comprehensive engineering, environmental, and regulatory review. Wastewater treatment facilities are subject to extensive state and federal regulations designed to protect public health and the environment, including permit requirements, monitoring, and operational safeguards," the statement said.
The city noted that treated wastewater is routinely discharged into the Brazos River under TCEQ permits, and that approximately 45 permitted wastewater treatment plants upstream of the location also discharge into the Brazos River in accordance with state and federal regulations.
City Council will hear the annexation proposal at its Aug. 18 meeting.
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