SAN ANTONIO – For more than a year, neighbors in northwest Bexar County have been fighting a housing development plan that they argue has the potential to pollute the water supply for counties in South Central Texas.
Guajolote Ranch is the proposed development that would create approximately 3,000 homes on 1,100 acres north of Grey Forest.
The development, which would be built by Lennar Corporation, would require a wastewater treatment plant.
That plant would treat and process sewage before dumping it into the Helotes Creek watershed, which feeds into the Edwards and Trinity aquifers.
Both are sources of drinking water for 2.5 million people.
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The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has yet to decide whether to grant the necessary permit for the treatment plant.
As that decision looms, KSAT has covered various aspects of the plan, including critics’ concerns, for more than a year.
This edition of KSAT Explains is a compilation of those issues and aspects of the proposal.
In response to concerns about potential health and environmental risks associated with the project, a spokesperson for Lennar issued the following statement:
"Guajolote Ranch helps meet San Antonio’s critical need for more attainable housing. Lennar is taking extraordinary steps to protect water quality in the aquifer contributing zone with a wastewater treatment plan that meets all the requirements in the water service agreement with SAWS who will provide water to the community. Our facility will be among the most advanced of the area’s dozen or so treatment plants already operating over the contributing zone. We will be using membrane bioreactor technology operated by Class A-certified professionals so water is treated to the highest Type 1 standards and exceeds TCEQ requirements. That treated water will be safely reused on-site for irrigating community landscaping to reduce demand on freshwater and ensure a cleaner, safer system for the community."
The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is obligated by law to provide water service to the area, should the project proceed.
The utility also said it is not responsible for operation or oversight of any future wastewater treatment plant associated with the project.
More of KSAT’s previous Guajolote Ranch coverage: