Opposition continues to mount against a proposed residential development on approximately 1,100 acres in northwest Bexar County west of the intersection of Scenic Loop Road and Babcock Road, north of the city of Grey Forest and between San Antonio and Boerne.
If the Guajolote Ranch project is given the green light to construct nearly 3,000 homes, it would be discharging treated sewage into Helotes Creek and into the Edwards Aquifer, San Antonio’s drinking water.
Miami-based Lennar Homes says it is following the law and qualifies for the necessary state permits to build and operate a wastewater treatment plant to serve the development.
In May 2025, two state administrative law judges recommended that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approve the wastewater‐discharge permit for the development’s plant. They found that the proposed permit would not impair water quality.
The recommendation by the judges is not final. The permit still must be reviewed and decided by the TCEQ commissioners. The decision is expected by the end of the year.
However, local public officials remain concerned about contamination to the aquifer. Residents in the surrounding area have organized to try to block the permit for the water treatment plant.
Critics argue that even advanced wastewater treatment plants frequently fail. They are vulnerable to power outages, maintenance failures, chemical‐contaminant intrusion and being overwhelmed during flash floods.
They point out that the permit may not adequately guard against “forever chemicals,” pharmaceuticals, microplastics or chemical run‐off that will end up in the tap water of San Antonio residents.
Recently San Antonio city council members Ivalis Meza Gonzalez and Marina Alderete Gavito requested the city to assess possible dangers of the project to the water supply.
GUEST:
Randy Neumann is the chair of the steering committee of the Scenic Loop-Helotes Creek Alliance.
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This interview will be recorded live Monday, Oct. 20, 2025 at 12:30 p.m.
