With the Austin/San Antonio corridor expected to grow continually into the future and demand on Edwards Aquifer water also expected to grow, if we are are to protect the quality and quantity of water in the aquifer, we must grow downstream of the sensitive Edwards Aquifer.

We support sustainable development that does not strain local water resources or pollute local water bodies. Some development over the Edwards Aquifer can take place without damaging the aquifer, but not the level of development that business boosters are planning for over the aquifer.

New development downstream of the Edwards Aquifer can take advantage of deeper soils, flatter terrain, and fewer endangered species or unique and fragile geologic features, like caves. New development must respect existing communities and neighborhoods.

With the Austin/San Antonio corridor expected to grow continually into the future and demand on Edwards Aquifer water also expected to grow, if we are are to protect the quality and quantity of water in the aquifer, we must grow downstream of the sensitive Edwards Aquifer.

We support sustainable development that does not strain local water resources or pollute local water bodies. Some development over the Edwards Aquifer can take place without damaging the aquifer, but not the level of development that business boosters are planning for over the aquifer.

New development downstream of the Edwards Aquifer can take advantage of deeper soils, flatter terrain, and fewer endangered species or unique and fragile geologic features, like caves. New development must respect existing communities and neighborhoods.

Perhaps the most tragic aspect of the on-going pollution of the Edwards Aquifer is how frequently polluters are subsidized by our tax dollars.

For example, City Councils in Austin and San Antonio have granted millions of dollars in subsidies (fee waivers, tax abatements, tax rebates, delayed annexation, and others) to developers planning on building thousands of homes, paving hundreds of acres, and generating millions of gallons of wastewater and thousands of vehicle trips per day on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.

We are currently calculating just how many BILLIONS of dollars the Texas Department of Transportation plans to spend paving the Hill Country of the Edwards Aquifer. In the Austin area alone, the Capital Metropolitan Planning Organization plans to spend $1.5 BILLION in state and federal dollars expanding highways in the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer.

River authorities, such as the Lower Colorado River Authority and the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority, are using their rate-payers’ money to build waterlines into the Edwards Aquifer Recharge and Contributing Zones to enable high density development. LCRA alone intends to spend over $100 million building water systems in the Barton Springs segment.

WHAT’S THE SOLUTION?

It’s simple: stop giving away our money to developers and infrastructure projects that pollute the Edwards Aquifer.

Local city councils should ask for a public vote on any measures that would give rebates, abatements, waivers or the like to developers proposing to build high density projects over the aquifer.

Local and state transportation organizations should redirect highway spending downstream of the Edwards Aquifer and only proceed with projects over the aquifer that are needed for essential safety and supported by the local population.

River authorities should stop building water lines into the Hill Country that promote “water welfare” to speculative real estate developers.

The State Legislature should empower local governments to police and enforce water quality protections, including inspection and maintenance of water quality control facilities (Best Management Practices).

Polluters should be forced to clean up their pollution sources and penalized for additional violations.

Cities, water supply corporations, businesses, and individuals can all help protect spring flows by reducing consumption of water. There are many easy ways to help reduce consumption. Here are a few:

• replace old shower heads and toilets with new models that use less water
• adjust your toilet to use less water per flush
• capture rain water off your roof for use
• check your water lines to make sure they aren’t leaking; repair any leaks
• don’t water your lawn during the hot parts of the day
• use native plants in landscaping

If all water users in the Edwards Aquifer region commit to reducing consumption, we will save billions of dollars that won’t have to be spent on new water development projects (like dams, uphill water transmission lines, and treatment plants).

The Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone is designated by Texas Commission for Environmental Quality as the area in Texas most vulnerable to pollution. As land on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge and Contributing zones is being rapidly developed, we advocate the following be implemented as soon as possible:

• Restrict impervious cover on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone to no more than 15%
• Prohibit the use of PAH sealants and paving materials throughout the entire Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone
• Prohibit direct discharge of sewage effluent (TPDES) permitting throughout the Edwards Aquifer Contributing Zone
• Encourage the use of Low Impact Development/Green Infrastructure in all new developments on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge and Contributing Zones
• Expand protections and regulations mandated by the state for the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone to include five miles of the contiguous Contributing Zone
• Consider investment in transportation infrastructure to insure that it does not encourage development on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone
• Promote public investment in conservation easements and purchase of public lands over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone