33,800-Acre Sandow Lakes Ranch on market for $250M near Austin

​​AUSTIN AREA - Alco​a Inc. has put its Texas land holdings on the market for $250 million, which include a vast array of water rights that could be the biggest known deal of its kind ever struck in the Lone Star State. 

The property is known as Sandow Lakes Ranch and totals nearly 33,800 acres.

The land stretches 30 miles long, spans three counties and sits about 45 miles east of downtown Austin.

"This is the largest water deal of its kind," said Bernard Uechtritz, the seller’s representative. "It has an incredible amount of holding capacity and that holding capacity could be increased."

The ranch includes 14 lakes covering 1,960 surface acres, totaling 48,379 acre-feet of water. Each year, the ranch is permitted 44,000 acre feet of water through the Simsboro Aquifer with an additional 14,000 acre-feet available for permitting.

An additional 18,000 acre-feet of surface water from the Little River run through the property. By selling the ranch, Alcoa would transfer 100 percent of its water rights.

As part of the deal, Alcoa would like to leaseback portions of the ranch, which includes two power plants operated by lignite with rail service. The metals manufacturer has been working at the property since the 1950s, at a time when Alcoa was mining coal on the land.

Along with water rights, the acquisition of Sandow Lakes Ranch includes:

• 6,000-acre industrial complex, which includes Rd.s, railhead, intermodal facility, warehousing, distribution and manufacturing;
• 5,564 acres with 100 percent oil and gas minerals, along with 22,489 acres with 60 percent oil and gas minerals;
• An estimated 200 million ton of lignite coal;
• A plethora of fish and wildlife that could be used for conservation;
• Last year, the ranch produced 16,000 bales of hay, a figure that could triple under the right owner, Uechtritz said.

This is the first time Alcoa has taken the property to market since acquiring it about 100 years ago.