Group seeks to increase transparency, conservation to Medina Lake

Neighbors of lake created group Save Lake Medina

MEDINA LAKE, Texas – Rachel Mulherrin has lived in a waterfront home along Medina Lake since 2001.

"Both of my kids grew up on this lake," Mulherrin said.

One of her neighbors, Henning Eilert-Olsen, began building his home just about the time Medina Lake water levels were sinking to record low levels.

"The house went up and the lake went down," Eilert-Olsen said.

The two neighbors decided to take action. Along with eight others in the area, they formed the nonprofit Save Medina Lake. They said that the governmental agency that manages the lake, Bexar Medina Atascosa Water Improvement and Control District No.1, is not properly managing lake water levels.

"The excuse was it's the drought,” Mulherrin said. “Nowhere, no how was it ever mentioned that the valves were left open."

BMA business manager Ed Berger disagrees.

"We follow all the laws. We follow the state law. We follow the water mesh of TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) our rules are permanent. We follow everything already," Berger said.

Mulherrin and Eilert-Olsen both said they want increased transparency from BMA. They allege the water improvement district has a history of not adequately facilitating water level information, such as when gates are left open or closed. 

"We should keep these gates closed as much as possible. Only do that when we need to keep them open for irrigation or other purposes," Eilert-Olsen said.

"It doesn't do any good when the water drains into the Gulf of Mexico," Mulherrin said.

Berger said the historically low levels coincided with BMA's mandate to help keep farmers supplied with water for irrigation needs.

"It's credible if you look at their petition where they say ‘You helped drain the lake,’" Berger said. "Well what they call draining the lake, is BMA taking water in the middle of a drought to give it to farmers."

Save Medina Lake said they gathered more than 10,000 signatures on petitions requesting better water conservation measures from the BMA. They say additional transparency and access to information will mean they can quit resorting to other means, such as flying a drone over Medina Lake.

Mulherrin said she hopes they will be offered a seat on the board. The Medina Lake waterfront property owner said she wants other nearby property owners to have a more democratized level of participation in water resource management at the  lake.

"It's for the people,” she said, “and this is a resource that's owned by the state and we have a right. We will exercise our right to make sure this is never drained dry again.”