Another Victory!

 

Dear GEAA members and friends,

Last night Robert Puente, President and CEO of San Antonio Water System, announced that SAWS is abandoning plans to pipe 50,000 acre feet of groundwater annually.  “Instead, SAWS CEO Robert Puente will recommend that the board consider dramatically increasing the utility's capacity for desalinating brackish water.”  Among the proposed projects was Val Verde Water Company, which GEAA opposed vigorously.

Read more here and here.  

While we respect SAWS efforts in planning to secure additional water supplies to address future droughts and rapid growth, GEAA was very troubled with the prospect of importing such massive amounts of water from other communities without providing an adequate venue for those communities – and local citizens – to be part of the decision making process.

We are delighted with SAWS decision, and thank the staff of SAWS for making this recommendation to their Board of Directors.  We ardently hope that the Board will concur with the staff decision.

Thank you to all of you who stood with our members in Del Rio and Brackettville to oppose a project that would have been detrimental to San Felipe springs - diminishing flows to the Devils River, San Felipe Creek, and the Rio Grande.  GEAA will continue working with the Border Organization and our other partners in Del Rio to secure a Groundwater Conservation District for Val Verde County during the next session of the Texas Legislature.

Thanks, too, to all of you who so generously support our Alliance.  You prove, in so many ways, that working together makes great things happen - and awful things not happen!

Have a wonderful weekend and stay warm,

 

Annalisa Peace

Executive Director

Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance

You can always keep up with interesting water news on GEAA's Face Book page

and, you can mail contributions to support GEAA to PO Box 15618, San Antonio, Texas 78212