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A hearing is set for May 6 on a temporary restraining order to keep secret the details of a settlement the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District negotiated with Lennar Homes proposed wastewater operator for the controversial Guajolote Ranch development in northwest Bexar County.
The agreement was negotiated without the knowledge of Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who has objected to the project, or the San Antonio City Council.
The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance filed a request to make the information public.
If the state district court rules to sustain the order on May 6, a trial on a permanent injunction would be set for Oct. 27 — well after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is expected to decide on the permit by late summer.
“We were outraged that Metro Health abdicated its responsibility to protect the health, safety and welfare of water users throughout this region – and then, kept it secret,” said Randy Neumann, chair of the steering committee of nonprofit Scenic Loop-Helotes Creek Alliance in a news release.
He added: “By caving to Lennar, they imperiled water quality for 1.7 million residents of San Antonio and multiple counties that depend upon the Edwards Aquifer, and in so doing forfeited the city of San Antonio’s right to standing in the case.”
Lennar Homes did not respond to TPR's request for comment. Metro Health did not respond to a similar request for comment.
During an appearance on TPR's "The Source," City Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Adriana Rocha Garcia, who toured the Guajolote Ranch area on April 6, said, “When the city council doesn’t know something, they can’t fix it. Immediately when we came back from the tour, I started asking questions. I asked why Metro Health had not released that information.
She added: "And I learned in the process that it was actually one of the SAWS attorneys that is working the case with Metro Health directly. That needs to change. With something especially as critical as water — and literally the lifeblood of our community is water — we absolutely have to be aware about it before any further decisions are taken.”
The 2900 home subdivision is planned on about 1,100 acres west of Scenic Loop and Babcock Roads. Its water treatment plant would discharge up to 1 million gallons of treated wastewater into Helotes Creek.
