NEW BRAUNFELS– Local environmental groups and concerned members of the community plan to speak out against a proposed permit application filed by a Comal County landowner with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality at a public meeting planned for June 8th. The application requests permission to dump 600,000 gallons of treated sewage into the West Fork of Dry Comal Creek, which feeds into Dry Comal Creek and, eventually, into the Comal River.
Austin Faught, chairman of Dry Comal Creek Neighbors, expressed significant concerns about the proposed wastewater plant. Faught warned, “If an Olympic-sized swimming pool of sewage pours into the creek from thousands of homesites a day, it will be disastrous for our community. Drinking water for our residents could be directly impacted, and the sensitive ecosystem of the surrounding area will be degraded. This wastewater flowing through my property and my neighbors’ properties could damage our homes, water wells, livestock, and ecosystem.”
Emphasizing the impact on vital resources, Faught added, “There are caves located on the property of the proposed facility location and neighboring properties. The very real possibility of discharge flowing through these porous formations located in the Edwards Aquifer Contributing Zone has everyone worried.” Dry Comal Creek Neighbors is determined to persuade the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to approve the project in a manner that prioritizes the community’s welfare.
