Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and three county commissioners signed the resolution. Credit: Michael Karlis

Members of Bexar County Commissioners Court signed a resolution urging the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to reconsider its approval of a controversial wastewater plant in the county’s far northwestern stretch.

The resolution, signed Tuesday by County Judge Peter Sakai and along with Commissioners Justin Rodriguez, Grant Moody and Tommy Calvert urges the TCEQ to hold a rehearing on the plant tied to the Guajolote Ranch development “in the interest of public health, environmental protection and regulatory integrity.”

The court’s move comes days before a Dec. 22 deadline for the TCEQ to decide whether to reevaluate the wastewater plant following a request for a rehearing by the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance and City of Grey Forrest, which is battling the massive residential development.

The groups filed the request after the TCEQ approved the wastewater plant permit in October. The groups maintains that the plant, which will service Florida-based builder Lennar’s 2,900-home development, poses substantial risks to the Edwards Aquifer. A 2020 study by the Southwest Research Institute cautioned that the plant’s treated wastewater could damage the sensitive watershed.

State Rep. Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, whose district includes Guajolote Ranch, also wrote a letter to the TCEQ earlier this month demanding another hearing on the wastewater plant.

If the TCEQ doesn’t schedule the rehearing, organizers from the Scenic Loop-Helotes Creek Alliance, which also opposes the development, this week told the Current that they plan to file a lawsuit in state district court over the matter.


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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...