State Sen. Roland Gutierrez sides with Guajolote opponents

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez has joined the growing number of politicians and residents fighting the construction of a wastewater plant that would dump millions of gallons of treated effluent into Helotes Creek.

Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) released a letter he sent Saturday to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Executive Director Erin Chancellor in which he calls for the TCEQ to deny a wastewater permit that would allow Lennar Homes to construct a wastewater plant to serve a 2,900-home development. The Florida-based developer is planning to build the development on 1,160 acres north of San Antonio in an area known as the Guajolote Ranch.

The plant would release an average of 1 million gallons a day of treated sewer effluent into Helotes Creek, which is located across the Edwards Aquifer's contributing and recharge zones. This means water from the creek would drain into the aquifer, which supplies water to over 2 million people in Central Texas, including the residents of San Antonio.

Gutierrez joins other leaders and local groups in opposing the plant, including state Rep. Mark Dorazio, the City of San Antonio's Metropolitan Health District and the cities of Helotes and Grey Forest. Last month, as many as 300 people attended a public meeting held by the TCEQ on May 9 in San Antonio regarding the permit application, and roughly 40 of them submitted formal comments opposing the project.

In his letter, Gutierrez stated the project is "a threat to public health, safety, and the welfare of my constituents and all those who depend on the Edwards Aquifer."

"Once these aquifers become contaminated, given the number of people on private wells, impractical and costly water purification treatment would be required before the water would be safe to consume," he said. "It would render recreational use of the local waterways unusable."

Gutierrez also invited a response from Chancellor.

These types of disputes over protecting water resources against encroaching development are becoming more common in the booming Hill Country as residents push to live in the scenic area.

Another press release issued Monday noted an upcoming public meeting taking place this week on a TCEQ permit application filed in September by a Comal County landowner to potentially dump 600,000 gallons of treated sewage a day into a creek that feeds into the Comal River.

Several environmental groups, including the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance and Preserve Our Hill Country Environment, said they plan to protest the permit application. The GEAA also formally submitted comments opposing the Guajolote plant last month.

"The proposed location for this large treatment plant and discharge is over the Edwards Aquifer contributing zone and just 2,000 feet upstream from the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone," said David Drewa, communications director for Preserve Our Hill Country Environment. "Other options would be much more protective of our water supply and ecosystem, such as beneficial reuse, land application permit (TLAP), and treatment to potable standards."

GEAA Executive Director Annalisa Peace told the San Antonio Report on Monday her group is opposing the Comal permit application because treated sewage discharged in this area would further impact Dry Comal Creek, which is already recognized by the TCEQ as an impaired waterway.

"Putting more effluent into it isn't going to help," Peace said.

In March, the Comal County resident who filed the application, Douglas T. Harrison, told the San Antonio Express-News that the permit seeks to perform a feasibility study and that he has no immediate plans to develop the property.

"We’re just getting everything in order and trying to get everything lined up here for what our options are," Harrison said. "Just in case we decide to sell someday down the road."

The public meeting for the Comal County permit application is on Thursday, June 8, at 7 p.m. at Smithson Valley High School.

Lindsey Carnett covers the environment, science and utilities for the San Antonio Report. More by Lindsey Carnett