Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday allocated about $2 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to connect the Villas at Timberwood subdivision to a sewage connection operated by the San Antonio Water System.
About 50 homeowners showed up at the commissions meeting to ask for help. Some told commissioners the funding will end years long issues with the subdivision's overwhelmed septic system.
Residents said the system could not keep up once its septic drainage field was saturated by rains or during peak sewage use times, such as holidays.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody, who represents the Northwest Bexar County neighborhood, brought the issue before commissioners.
He urged commissioners to act to protect the health of residents of the subdivision and to protect the environment.
"This just isn't the right thing to do for all of you and your families, it's the right thing to do for the community," Moody said. "It's the right thing to do for Mustang Creek. It's the right thing to do for Edwards Aquifer, and it's the right thing to do for Bexar County."
Mustang Creek sits near the septic drainage field, and the creek feeds the Edwards Aquifer, a key source of water for the region.
Residents said they have to be warned by their homeowner's association on some days to not use any water, including toilets and showers, out of fears of overtasking the system. Some said they had to learn more about septic system operations than they wanted to.
The residents said the septic system could not keep up with the scale of the subdivision of 75 homes. They said HOA fees were tripled over time to the current $2,200 a year to address overflow problems.
Residents also said the overflowing septic drainage area creates a stench, kills wildlife, including deer, and attracts flies and mosquitoes. They said neighborhood children have to be instructed to stay away from it.
One resident spoke of a pipe that jutted up from the ground and spewed sewage several feet into the air.
