WILSON COUNTY, Texas – Debi Segovia said she moved to Wilson County two decades ago to get away. Now, she’s worried the fresh air and clean water that were once selling points will soon be stripped away.
“The state as a whole needs to get a grip on development,” Segovia said.
This summer, HK Bella’s Ranch, LLC. applied for a permit for a proposed Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. This would create a new wastewater treatment plant in Wilson County to accommodate a development that would add 900 single-family homes off U.S. Highway 181 near Floresville.
KSAT has covered a very similar project near Helotes called Guajolote Ranch.
Currently, the plot in Wilson County is just grass. However, an attorney for the developer said it’s been an “active” development for over three years, and homes that would be built there would need a treatment plan for wastewater produced.
“There is no existing wastewater treatment plant near (or even far away) from the site to serve these homes and installing numerous individual septic tanks is an environmentally inferior alternative,” the attorney’s email read in part. “Although not required, Bella’s Ranch will use a state-of-the-art Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) treatment system, treat wastewater to very stringent tertiary standards (5 mg/L CBOD5, 5 mg/L TSS, 2 mg/L NH3 and 0.5 mg/L TP) and beneficially reuse the treated wastewater onsite as a water conservation measure so the site is irrigated by treated water. Other environmental concerns are mitigated by buffer zones.”
However, nearby neighbors still have health concerns over the creation of this facility.
“The wastewater is not going to reach the San Antonio River as they profess in their application,” said Andi Kelly, a resident of Shannon Ridge. “A lot of these homes have septic systems. So, how is that water, as it settles, going to affect the septic system of these homeowners?”
According to the permit application, treated sewage, or effluent, would be pumped from the proposed treatment plant through a pressurized underground pipe one mile northeast to Kerry Lane. It would then travel 630 feet under Kerry Lane before turning onto Tipperary Lane.
From there, the effluent would move 525 feet along Tipperary Lane, turn onto Blarney Road for 640 feet, then continue 1,300 feet along Shannon Ridge to the discharge point near Kicaster Creek. The effluent would then discharge into the creek near Shannon Ridge and flow 4.2 miles to the San Antonio River.
Resident Alena Berlanga said one problem with the plan is that Kicaster Creek is completely dry.
“It’s just gonna sit there and saturate the area,” Berlanga said.
About 100 neighbors came together on Tuesday night to learn more about the proposal in Floresville.
“It affects our quality of life,” Segovia said. “We’re worrying about losing our wildlife, and we’re worrying about the value of our home.”
The permit application was submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Safety in early July. A spokesperson confirmed to KSAT that an administrative review of the permit has been completed.
TCEQ said a standard permit process takes about a year if it’s uncontested. The full application is available online.
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