Water
As the population on Planet Earth grows, water has become a very rare and precious commodity--even part of the largest aquifer in the world, the Ogallala, went dry a few years ago--so we all need to be good stewards of our water supply to make sure there's enough clean, pure water, not only for us, but for our children and their children. That will be more and more difficult. A Trinity University professor says only 3 percent of the world's water is currently clean.
Failing in efforts to get Edwards Aquifer water piped up the hill from San Antonio to their subdivision, Hills of Castle Rock developers have applied to the Medina County Groundwater Conservation District (MCGCD) for a permit to withdraw 1,724 acre-feet of water per year--that's more than 500 million gallons of water--from wells drilled on their property.
SGVA questions the allocation of additional permits for Trinity Aquifer water in northern Medina County. The Trinity has limited recharge and can yield only part of its recharge to wells. The Texas Water Development Board has identified 1,329 acre-feet of water in the Trinity Aquifer in Medina County as already in use. The MCGCD's groundwater management plan has estimated the annual supply of additional available water in the Trinity Aquifer in all of northern Medina County to be 860 acre-feet. It is not clear how the MCGCD can permit 1,724 acre-feet when only 860 acre-feet are available.
Another problem is that the water is brackish and would need to be treated by reverse osmosis (RO) in order to be potable. RO wastes a lot of water, another factor that doesn't do the Trinity any good. And a huge amount of salt results from the RO process. Where will all this salt be dumped? Not in San Geronimo Creek, we hope.
Current residents of the area near the proposed development are very concerned that their own wells will be significantly drawn down by the heavy usage sought by the developer.
So in addition to the TCEQ contested case hearing we've been granted about sewage effluent being dumped in the creek, we have requested a contested case hearing before the MCGCD to stop Baruch Properties from acquiring the volume of water they want.
Contested case hearings are like civil suits, in that attorneys are involved, discovery takes place and both sides present their case in a courtroom setting. The process is extremely expensive.
We are fighting these battles because we are working to fulfill our mission as stated on the home page. If you are affected in any way by Hills of Castle Rock (to be located about 10 miles northwest of San Antonio at the intersection of Bandera Rd and Park Rd 37), or even if you don't think you're affected and you'd like to contribute to the cost of the hearings, please mail a check to our treasurer at: SGVA, 19903 Bandera Rd, Helotes, TX 78023. We now have a PayPal account as well.
So please help. Any and all donations will be gratefully accepted and used responsibly.
It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.
Ansel Adams
