Natural gas pipeline route rattles Williamson County landowners

Carol Fox's family holds their annual Easter reunion on land they have owned since 1945 by the San Gabriel River in eastern Williamson County. The river has created a deposit of gravelwhere they have celebrated many events or just gotten together to drink a glass of wine. A few weeks ago, Fox said, she got a notice that said a natural gas pipeline was going to be routed through her property running right underneath their gathering spot. Austin-based Whitewater Midstream is going to operate the Matterhorn Express Pipeline, which will run 490 miles from the Permian basin in West Texas to the Katy area near Houston. Construction is expected to last a year starting in June 2023, said Cody McGregor, a project spokesman. The size of the pipeline will vary up to 42 inches in diameter.

"It is the worst possible route," Fox said. "The gravel bar is like an open air living room because it's so integrated into our lives." She said the route also runs near her and her brother's houses which are both on the same property. The pipeline will be buried 3 feet underground and a minimum of 5 feet under road crossings, McGregor said. It is designed to transport up to 2.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. In Central Texas, the pipeline will pass through parts of Williamson and Burnet counties. It will affect an estimated 175 to 200 landowners in Williamson County and about 50 to 75 in Burnet County, said Jacob Merkord, an attorney. He is part of the Austin law firm Marrs Ellis & Hodge that is representing several of the owners concerned aboutit, including Fox. The land that Fox co-owns with her brother is about 15 miles east of Georgetown, near the community of Circleville. "Some of our landowners are worried about the blast radius of the pipeline and how a natural gas pipeline explosion could impact their homes and properties," Merkord said. The pipeline also has drawn opposition from Burnet County commissioners, who passed a resolution on June 14 opposing it because of safety concerns and "potential negative impacts to the environment, soil, water systems and land value in Burnet County."