BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Concerns are mounting over a proposed wastewater treatment plant at the Guajolote Ranch development in northwest Bexar County.
Researchers say the treated sewage that would be dumped into the Edwards Aquifer could severely impact the drinking water for 2.5 million people.
But what about the similar treatment facilities that already exist in the San Antonio area, and what makes this one controversial?
“People rob banks, but that doesn’t make it correct,” said Randy Neumann, a resident who opposes the Guajolote Ranch development.
“It pisses me off,” said Ron Nirenberg, the former mayor of San Antonio.
That’s the reaction KSAT received from opponents of the proposed Guajolote Ranch development when Lennar, the Florida-based construction group, sent KSAT a map of existing water treatment facilities along the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone.
Lennar provided KSAT with a map questioning how their proposed wastewater treatment facility could be considered more problematic than the existing ones in the area.
“It’s a little childish, to be honest,” Nirenberg said. “By pointing out all the things that other people are doing wrong and saying we can do wrong also, that’s not the solution.”
Lennar wants to build 3,000 homes on 1,100 acres, a proposed development called Guajolote Ranch. It would require a wastewater treatment facility that would dump treated sewage into Helotes Creek.
That creek feeds into the Trinity and Edwards aquifers, which are part of the drinking water supply for nearly 2.5 million people across South Central Texas and parts of the Hill Country
A 2020 study, paid for by the City of San Antonio, found that adding wastewater treatment systems would “significantly degrade the watershed and the quality of water recharging the Edwards aquifer.”
The Scenic Loop Neighborhood Alliance, the group fighting the development with local and state leaders, took that map and looked into the Environmental Protection Agency’s Enforcement and Compliance History.
Here is what they found:
- Out of 16 plants, only four meet “drinking water” standards. Of those four, three have been out of compliance in the past three years, and one was fined by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for serious noncompliance.
- Half of the wastewater treatment plants that reported data have been out of compliance at times over the last three reporting years.
- Two of these plants have been fined for non-compliance, totaling $52,672.
- The violations included high levels of pollutants such as E. Coli, ammonia, nitrogen, phosphorus, and total suspended solids.
“What that tells me, though, is that TCEQ has been a little fast and loose with how they’ve allowed wastewater treatment plants along this region,” Nirenberg said.
“We know more today than we have ever known about wastewater, and we need to act on that for the good of the people of San Antonio,” Neumann said. “And that means no more plants on the contributing zone.”
Stuart Birnbaum, associate professor emeritus of planetary Earth and sciences at the University of Texas San Antonio, pointed out that with improved data, the potential damage is clearer, especially considering the proposed facility’s location.
It would discharge treated sewage directly over the Helotes Creek watershed, which flows into the Trinity and Edwards aquifers.
“This particular area is extremely sensitive,” Birnbaum said. “Bexar County has more karst than any other place in the state. So yes, this particular area is extremely sensitive. If you’re comparing this to Comal County or Kimble County or any of the other, they have their own sensitive areas. But nowhere is more sensitive than Bexar County and this area.”
KSAT has emailed and called Lennar several times requesting a sit-down interview, but KSAT has not received a response.
KSAT emailed and called the TCEQ to ask about the fines.
“When TCEQ identifies violations, we follow the enforcement process detailed on this webpage,” TCEQ said in an email. They did not answer KSAT’s questions.
Nirenberg said that during his time in office, he attempted numerous times to find a better solution with the developer. He is determined to protect the drinking water of San Antonio.
“Where is Lennar?” Nirenberg asked. “You know, they will not come to the table because it’s more important for them to get their profits on this development when they’ll pack up and leave town and we’re gonna be stuck with the mess that they create.”