Texas regulators on Wednesday approved a permit for a controversial northwest Bexar County wastewater facility that’s expected to pump an average of a million gallons of treated sewage daily into the Helotes Creek watershed.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality unanimously approved the permit sought by Florida-based developer Lennar Corp. with little discussion, saying it met “all applicable requirements.”
Opponents of the wastewater project, tied to Lennar’s Guajolote Ranch development, have waged a months-long fight against the permit, arguing the wastewater’s introduction into the watershed will endanger San Antonio’s drinking water and residents’ ability to swim and fish in Helotes Creek.
In an emailed statement, project opponents said they plan to file for a rehearing, which would trigger a new process that could push back a final verdict another 55 days. Should TCEQ reapprove the project, opponents would have another 30 days to appeal in Travis County district court.
“We are, of course, extremely disappointed in the commissioners’ decision, as we’d hoped that under new leadership they would chart a new course that truly abides by their own stated mission ‘to protect our state’s public health and natural resources consistent with sustainable economic development,’ ” Randy Neumann, chair of the steering committee of the Scenic Loop-Helotes Creek Alliance, said in the statement. “This decision does nothing of the sort.”
A 2020 study funded by the City of San Antonio found that any wastewater system from a large-scale residential development that released into the Helotes Creek watershed would “significantly degrade the watershed and the quality of water recharging the Edwards Aquifer.”
Roughly 2.5 million people depend on the Edwards Aquifer, which provides more than half of the Alamo City’s drinking water.
Bexar County commissioners, San Antonio City Council or other state entities still could shut down the project by rejecting a special funding mechanism Lennar seeks to fund the water plant, Neumann said in the statement. That mechanism, called a Public Improvement District, would pay for the project using assessments against area property owners.
However, “if the 2.5 million residents across Central Texas who depend on the Edwards Aquifer ultimately don’t get the remedy they deserve, our message will be, ‘See you in court,’” he added.
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