AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) sent a letter of opposition to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) regarding a recently approved controversial wastewater permit.
The permit, approved by TCEQ last month, covers a wastewater treatment permit for the Lennar Corporation’s Guajolote Ranch development in northwest Bexar County.
The proposed development would create approximately 3,000 homes on 1,100 acres, located north of Grey Forest.
KSAT has covered neighbors’ concerns about the project for nearly two years.
In the letter to TCEQ Chairwoman Brooke Paup, Campbell cited concerns around groundwater integrity, endangered species, public health and procedural concerns.
“I respectfully request a written response within 30 days of this letter addressing these concerns and detailing the corrective measures the commission intends to pursue,” Campbell wrote in the letter dated Oct. 30.
See below to read the letter in full:
While the commission approved the permit in late October, it is not final, as opposing parties have 25 days from the date of the decision’s signing — Oct. 28 — to file for a rehearing, a news release from the Scenic Loop-Helotes Creek Alliance said.
Campbell, in the letter, requests the denial of the permit and urges the commission to consider the findings of a 2020 Southwest Research Institute study, which found discharge within the Helotes Creek watershed could have detrimental effects to the recharge quality of the Edwards Aquifer.
Yet, despite the study’s outcomes, San Antonio Water System President and CEO Robert Puente told KSAT the day after the permit was approved that “systems are in place to protect the city’s water supply.”
“Texas has long led in balancing responsible development with strong environmental stewardship,” Campbell’s letter said. “Protecting the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers is not only an environmental imperative but also a public trust obligation.”
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