BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A bipartisan group of state lawmakers from the Bexar County area penned a letter to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) this week, rejecting a wastewater permit for the Guajolote Ranch development.
Guajolote Ranch, located in northwest Bexar County, is a proposed 2,900-home development from Florida-based homebuilder Lennar Corporation. It has drawn contention from nearby residents and has now gained the attention of lawmakers who work at the state capitol.
The development would sit on approximately 1,100 acres, west of Scenic Loop and Babcock roads. It would also include a wastewater treatment plant.
Wastewater from the development, according to a Wednesday news release describing the lawmakers’ letter, would release an estimated one million gallons per day of treated sewage into the Helotes Creek watershed.
The watershed feeds into the Trinity Aquifer and accounts for “15% of the total recharge of the Edwards Aquifer, a water source for about 1.7 million residents across 12 South and Central Texas counties.”
The letter, issued to three TCEQ commissioners, suggests the approval of the permit could contaminate the drinking water supply.
It also references a study conducted by the Southwest Research Institute, which found that distributing any type of treated wastewater “would significantly degrade the watershed and the quality of water recharging the Edwards Aquifer.”
“Our constituents, our neighbors and our families are being put at potential risk due to this wastewater treatment plant,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “They risk seeing their beloved Helotes Creek permanently damaged by wastewater that we know will contain pharmaceuticals and, if there is any deviation from 100% effectiveness in filtration, may contain fecal matter.”
Rep. Mark Dorazio, R-San Antonio, led the bipartisan effort. The development would be located within Dorazio’s district.
The other signees include:
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Marc LaHood, R-San Antonio
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John Lujan, R-San Antonio
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Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio
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Elizabeth Campos, D-San Antonio
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Philip Cortez, D-San Antonio
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Josey Garcia, D-San Antonio
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Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, D-San Antonio
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Ray Lopez, D-San Antonio
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Trey Martinez-Fischer, D-San Antonio
In May, state administrative law judges recommended that TCEQ approve the permit, contradicting a denial recommendation from a TCEQ counsel in March.
Lennar is awaiting TCEQ’s approval to continue with the development; however, some residents accused the developer of trespassing, destroying private property and destroying trees in two separate incidents.
The agency is expected to decide on the issue in August or September, according to the news release.
See below to view the letter the 10 lawmakers submitted to TCEQ:
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