NOTICE: We urge you to be on the line this Thursday, January 28, from 6 to 9 pm for a final hearing by the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District Board, on the LCRA’s (Lower Colorado River Authority’s) mega-permit demand on the same aquifers permitted by Vista Ridge. LCRA, a quasi-governmental agency should know better. This hearing is held at the very same time that Vista Ridge is causing landowner wells to go dry. A temporary moratorium on permits is in order, not more permitting! See instructions for the call at the end of this message. Click here for the full hearing Notice. More below.
Texas Population Growth Far Outstrips Other States, wrote Bill King on January 9th. This picture of the parking lot at the San Antonio Food Bank reminds us to get our growth agenda correctly prioritized.
This is the driving force behind the wretched “water wars” unfolding in Texas. It was the driving force in California 50 years ago.
We don’t have to make the same mistakes – using groundwater to subsidize development in areas chosen by real estate investors.
In just one month all these things have happened to aquifers 40 miles from the Capitol Dome:
Vista Ridge’s full bore pumping of 50,000 acre-feet of groundwater per year (AFY) is making area landowner wells go dry, costing thousands of dollars in unexpected expenses to either lower their pumps, replace their pumps or even drill a new well, in the midst of this pandemic and economic downturn!
SAWS launched an expensive legal action to stop the San Antonio citizen petition for a public vote in May for the SAWS Accountability Act, the focus of which is simply a proper audit of Vista Ridge, something that should have been done years ago! (Ruling expected real soon!)
Recharge Water (formerly End Op) and Forestar (now owned by Gatehouse Water), both private companies, are sitting on their own mega-permits on the same aquifers for a combined 74,500 AFY, but haven’t found customers!
And THIS THURSDAY the quasi-governmental Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) managed to get a final hearing set on their unnecessary mega-permit demand for 25,000 AFY on the same aquifers
What are our elected officials doing? We believe they are watching and they are concerned. They’re also dealing with other crises in our state budget.
What is the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District Board doing? They have the last word on the LCRA permit.
They must hear from you by your participation starting this Thursday night.
You can make a 3-minute public comment or not; you can submit written comments before the hearing. It’s your presence that is most important.
Click here for the hearing details. We have also posted the log in information below.
We suggest you read the top three news articles by Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund. And this important update here from our friends at Environmental Stewardship.
Got questions? Don’t hesitate to reply to this message or to call us T 512.213.4511.
Thank you!
Log in to the Zoom video conference OR dial in to the conference call using the information below:
Zoom Meeting Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3690090040?pwd=cDNJcTlWdGRRcnc0UlplM0VRQlJHZz09 Meeting ID: 369 009 0040 Passcode: a0ix0g
Telephone conference: Phone number: Dial +1 346 248 7799 Meeting ID: 369 009 0040 # Passcode: 058330
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