Protect Texas Treasures! Support Save Our Springs!

Protect Texas Treasures: Defend the Pedernales River, Hamilton Pool, and Reimers Ranch from Harmful Development.

Dallas billionaire Steve Winn is attempting to develop a massive 1,900-acre luxury resort on one of the most environmentally sensitive areas along the Pedernales River in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin. Located next to Hamilton Pool Preserve and Reimers Ranch Park—two of Travis County’s natural wonders and most cherished public parks—this development, called Mirasol Springs, threatens irreversible damage to the region.

Despite marketing itself as “environmentally friendly,” the proposed resort—which includes a large hotel, cabins, restaurants, and 70 luxury homesites—will cause water, noise, visual, and light pollution in this currently pristine and vulnerable area.

● The development would consume 155,000 gallons of water per day, depleting water resources already dwindling from extended drought, excess pumping, and climate change.

● Raw sewage piped across pristine Roy Creek, as the developer has proposed, poses a threat to this currently pristine stream.

● Insufficiently treated sewage would be irrigated over a downward-sloping field draining directly into the Pedernales River.

The Pedernales River supplies a quarter of the water flow into Lake Travis, a primary drinking water source for Austin and surrounding communities. Any pollution in the Pedernales River would flow downstream into Lake Travis. Experts warn that groundwater and surface water contamination from Mirasol Springs could create a serious health hazard, degrade public parks, and devastate the riverfront beaches that thousands enjoy every year.

In response, local landowners and environmental organizations—including Save Our Springs Alliance, the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, and Save Barton Creek Association—have teamed up with neighboring landowners and Travis County to oppose this harmful development. Our efforts to engage with the developer have been partially successful, but Mirasol has rejected many of our pressing environmental concerns, which has forced landowners and environmental advocates into costly legal battles.

We need your help. Your contributions will fund deeply discounted legal fees, dye tracing studies, and expert witnesses needed to challenge Mirasol’s wastewater and other development permit applications.

By donating today, you can play a critical role in protecting the Pedernales River, Hamilton Pool Preserve, Reimers Ranch Park, Lake Travis, Roy Creek and small springs that provide critical habitat for the endangered Pedernales River spring salamander. Please donate now and help us preserve the irreplaceable beauty of the Texas Hill Country. Every contribution makes a difference in this fight to save our precious natural resources.

Thank you for your support!

Save Our Springs Alliance

Save Our Springs Alliance is committed to protecting the quality of Barton Springs, the Edwards Aquifer, and the natural environment of Central Texas by engaging in legal, research, advocacy, and educational actions. The Edwards aquifer is one of the top 5 most biodiverse groundwater ecosystems in the world. Our paramount objective is to preserve the quality of life for Alliance members, encompassing their civic, aesthetic, recreational, scientific, economic, property, and health interests, as well as their commitment to open, honest government and participatory democracy. Additionally, our strategic initiatives involve the judicious holding of conservation easements and other real property interests, ensuring the preservation of nature through vigilant protection and defense.

Every contribution, big or small, makes a real impact. Even just a few dollars can help move this mission forward and reach those who need it most.

If you can’t donate right now, sharing this fundraiser is also incredibly helpful. Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. It means the world to me.