GEAA Fights Bulverde Wastewater Permits
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Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) will host a “strategy meeting” for ideas about how to fight a local developer’s attempt to release 300,000 gallons-per-day of treated sewage into Indian Creek, a tributary of Cibolo Creek in Comal County.
The meeting regarding TCEQ Permit # WQ0015092001 for the Goldsmith Tract Development, development is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23 at GVTC Auditorium 36101 FM 3159, New Braunfels.
TCEQ has scheduled a public meeting regarding the Indian Creek permit for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 at Rahe Bulverde Elementary School Cafeteria, 1715 East Amman Rd., Bulverde.
According to Annalisa Peace, GEAA’s executive director, multiple developers in the Bulverde area have filed permit applications for wastewater discharge with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
GEAA believes that if these permits are approved, water quality of local streams and Edwards and Trinity aquifer wells and springs could be degraded.
Cibolo Creek recharges the Edwards Aquifer, which supplies drinking water to 1.7 million Central Texas residents.
“We believe that the practice of discharging sewage effluent into waterways that recharge the Edwards Aquifer is a filthy practice that should be prohibited,” Peace said.
“We are especially concerned by the prospect of negative cumulative impacts posted by the proliferation (of) direct discharge permits for new residential development in the Texas Hill Country that might pollute our streams, rivers, wells and springs.”
The 1,000-home Johnson Ranch development, located several miles downstream from Indian Creek Ranch, has applied for a permit that would add 350,000 gallons per day of treated sewage into Cibolo Creek.
A few miles to the north, Silesia Properties has applied for a permit to release up to 500,000 gallons per day of treated sewage into Honey Creek, which flows through a Honey Creek State Natural Area and into the Guadalupe River.
According to Peace, TCEQ permits dumping of treated sewage effluent into area creeks as long as it meets “fairly lax water quality standards.”
The total permitted amount of treated sewage discharges in the Bulverde area could exceed 2.7 million gallons per day.
I agree that this is insane and motivated by greed. What is needed is more public awareness and involvement. For every person that attends a meeting opposing these and similar actions there are probably thousands of individuals and families who would oppose but cannot attend meetings due to work, family obligations etc. As a result the insidious destruction of the Texas Hill Country continues right under our feet. My husband and myself are joining organizations such as the Hill Country Alliance and Save our Hills. If you cannot attend meetings then PLEASE write, e mail or call your local and state representatives. Our outrage and personal feelings are not enough to prevent poorly planned development and pollution that results. Talk to your neighbors, your friends and colleagues workers. Provide them with the names and contacts of the organizations that are working to protect this area. Let your representatives know that this IS an issue, and you will not support the behind the scenes collaboration that is occurring between developers and state representatives. How many developers are making campaign contributions to obtain approval for their high density projects?
That is insane. Why would ANYONE think this makes any kind of sense?