Dear GEAA members and friends,
The Vista Ridge pipeline is being sold as a regional water supply project to
serve growth in the IH 35 corridor. We predict that this will result
in an explosion of growth in the areas where we least want it – over our
Edwards and Trinity watersheds. For a great description of the
project, read what SOS Alliance has to say here.
At a briefing
of the SAWS water rates advisory board that I attended, it was mentioned
that SAWS intends to sell short term water contracts from the Vista
Ridge pipeline to supply water in Wimberley. San Marcos, Dripping
Springs, Spring Branch, and Blanco. The cities of Austin and San Marcos
have already announced that they do not want this water. I don’t know
of any entities other than MUD’s that would pay the $2,200/arce foot for
a five to ten year contract. This project is a developer’s dream.
At the San Antonio City Council meeting last night, several groups, including GEAA, presented our concerns. Former Texas Water Development Board Attorney, Michelle McFadden presented an excellent analysis of the risks of this project. We are grateful to the League of Independent Voters of Texas
for commissioning Ms. McFaddin to take a close look at the Vista Ridge
contract (something, it seems, that few here in San Antonio have done).
It appears that the SAWS Director of Public Relations, upon receiving GEAA’s press release
announcing that we would be at City Council to speak on the Vista Ridge
Project, spent the afternoon drafting comments for representatives of
the various Chambers of Commerce to present, as well. We were
astonished to hear for the first time - from a Chamber of Commerce
representative - that the City is planning on having a public hearing at
their next weekly Council meeting.
So, please mark your calendars to attend a public hearing on the Vista Ridge Water Supply project.
When: Wednesday, October 8th at 6:00 pm
Where: San Antonio City Hall Complex, City Council Chambers, 114 W. Commerce, San Antonio, Texas
What: A
Public Hearing to allow citizens and other interested parties the
opportunity to provide comments to the City Council on the proposed
Vista Ridge Water Supply Agreement. For information on signing up to speak on line, click here. You may park at the Frost Bank garage across Commerce Street.
If you are a SAWS ratepayer, we urge you to come down and express your concerns. If you can't make it, please contact your Council Representative
and let them know what you think. This project is estimated to boost
your water rates by at least 16% over the next three years. You are
essentially being asked to subsidize an explosion of growth over the
Edwards and Trinity aquifer watersheds via a financially risky project.
We welcome citizens from throughout the Hill Country to attend the hearing, and/or write to Mayor Taylor and the San Antonio City Council to express your concerns.
Looking forward to seeing you next Wednesday!
Sincerely,
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
No comments:
Post a Comment