Maybe you're one of the nearly 200 people who read yesterday's blog about Water Treatment Plant #4. That blog was a summary of fundamental reasons a coalition of local environmental groups believe construction of WTP4 should be halted.

According to one coalition spokesman, there are numerous examples in business and municipal works of entities backing out of construction projects when a project is deemed "unwise." The Intel building in downtown Austin comes to mind, or the recent postponement of a nearby coal plant's expansion due to fears of future water shortages among governmental leaders. 

Regarding WTP4, coalition leader Bill Bunch says roughly $150 million of a $500 million budget has been spent on the project so far. Note that much of that money has been spent on land acquisition. "Actual construction is less than 15 percent completed," he says, adding that the city's construction contracts specifically allow for termination at will, and payment only for work done and reasonable demobilization costs.

So here's what the coalition is asking. They want you to contact Mayor Lee Leffingwell and ask him to put WTP4 construction on hold for 90 days. This period would give the city auditor and other local leaders time to review a cost of postponement report, secure outside bids for mothballing the plant, and make more informed decisions about the true costs of postponing the build. The coalition includes Austin Sierra Club, Save Our Springs Alliance, Environment Texas, Clean Water Action, Responsible Water Austin, and Stop the Shaft.

I gather this from the Coalition about what's known now:

Benefits of Postponing

• City to save over $14 million per year (on interest, operation & maintenance)
• City to maintain "option" value - to adopt better, less expensive technology/design in the future
• City to gain time for complete audit & water planning process

Costs of Postponing

• Tie down and demobilization costs (industry standard = 5 to 10 percent of project cost)
• Some added costs to preserve project

Photos of Lake Travis, Summer 2011