ATX-BAS: Impact 11/7/2025

Work is steadily progressing on the rehabilitation of Wastewater Treatment plants No. 1 and No. 2 in Bastrop, according to city officials.

The details: Both facilities, located at 300 Water St., Bastrop, were severely impacted by grit and debris that have accumulated in the aeration basin—deposits that have led to a loss in treatment capacity, according to a staff report.

“The Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 1 clarifier has been dewatered and pressure washed, and I would not want to be the person who was in that tank pressure washing,” Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino said during a special meeting Nov. 4. “We did identify some metal issues, so we’ve cleared the contractor to start those repairs, and then we’re still removing sludge and debris.”

Bastrop residents will have another option for vehicle maintenance, as a Brakes Plus location is planned for the city, according to a company representative.

It will be located less than a half mile from Discount Tire and Jiffy Lube.

What we know: The 4,900-square-foot project—scheduled to begin construction on Jan. 1, 2026, and be completed by Nov. 2, 2026—is estimated to cost $1.5 million, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.  

• 640 Hwy. 71 W., Bastrop

The air traffic control tower at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is staffed at just 45% of its target, according to U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett.

The overview: Only 27 controllers are currently assigned to a tower that needs 60 to meet federal recommendations. The Federal Aviation Administration attributes nationwide shortages to disrupted hiring and training cycles. Controller turnover remains a top issue, according to FAA reports. 

While the FAA plans to hire 8,900 controllers by 2028, projected departures mean only a net gain of about 2,000. 

The local lens: Those gaps have raised safety concerns. Since late 2022, the FAA has recorded six near-miss incidents at ABIA. 

Local leaders warn that without faster staffing relief, reliability and safety could suffer as Austin’s aviation demand rises.

Quote of note: “These staffing-related disruptions are now systemic, recurring with increasing frequency and intensity. ... With record-setting passenger growth and a multi-billion-dollar expansion underway, AUS cannot meet its operational or safety commitments without immediate staffing relief,” ABIA CEO Ghizlane Badawi wrote in a letter to FAA administrators.