This blog
was written with the
assistance of Amy
Hardberger,
Assistant Professor
of Law at St. Mary’s
University Last week, the
San Antonio City
Council unanimously
voted to move
forward with the Vista
Ridge Project
that plans to bring
50,000 acre-feet of
groundwater from
Burleson County to the
city. Because of our
many concerns
with this project, the
vote was a
disappointment, but
last Thursday’s
Council deliberation
did stir some
positives worth
discussing.
Edwards
Aquifer Protection
Environmental
groups have been
publicly criticized
for opposing the Vista
Ridge project. Project
supporters argue
environmentalists
should support the
project reasoning the
additional water will
reduce pumping on the
Edwards Aquifer.
Indeed, it does seem
that initially the
water from Vista Ridge
could help reduce
pumping on the
Edwards. But the San
Antonio Water System
(SAWS) has made no
written commitment to
reducing pumping from
the Edwards once Vista
Ridge comes on-line.
And what
happens down the road?
Pumping 50,000
acre-feet from
aquifers in Burleson
County is not
sustainable.
Groundwater models
have shown that this
amount of pumping will
result in over
300 feet of drawdown
in water levels. San
Antonio is not worried
about this because the
Vista Ridge partners
are assuming the risk
of groundwater
cutbacks and San
Antonio only has to
pay for the volume of
water actually
delivered.
But San Antonio
should be worried.
SAWS assumes ownership
of the pipeline to
Burleson County in 30
years, as well as a
right to renew the
groundwater leases.
Only, what happens if
there is not enough
water? San Antonio is
relying on the water
for growth. If that
volume of water is not
available after in the
future– which it won’t
be – San Antonio is
going to return to
fully pumping from the
Edwards and seek yet
another water supply
costing billions of
dollars.
Conservation
and Land Use
Another aspect
of this project that
created concerns for
environmentalists is
that the influx of
water could deter SAWS
from continuing to
maximize conservation
efforts. Several
council members asked
SAWS President and CEO
Robert Puente to
pledge a continued
commitment to a strong
water conservation
program. Mr. Puente
assured them that as
long as he was
President, he would
continue such a
commitment. Mr. Puente
also noted that the 2012
SAWS Water
Management Plan
(WMP) calls for 16,000
acre-feet of water
supply to come from
water conservation by
2020.
That sounds
great, but as council
members Ron
Nirenberg and Shirley
Gonzales noted,
that is just a promise
and we should rely on
the city to make good
on it. Indeed,
vigilance over the
SAWS Water
Conservation Plan is
critical. Why? Because
1) SAWS’s 2012 WMP
makes no commitment to
water conservation
past 2020; and 2) the
public perception of
some is that SAWS has
already exhausted its
opportunity for water
savings from
conservation. Councilman
Saldana
colorfully noted this
when he stated that
SAWS has ‘cut to the
bone on using that
tool’.
Even though
SAWS’ has made great
strides on
conservation, there is
much more left to do.
New water conservation
programs have shifted
from reducing indoor
savings to reducing
outdoor water use
by offering landscape
coupons and irrigation
rebates and
consultations. As
outdoor water use
accounts for up to 50%
SAWS’ water summer
usage, water savings
from these programs
can reap significant
savings.
Demand-reduction
programs need to
continue and SAWS
should commit to
maintaining the amount
it spends per customer
on these programs.
In addition to
SAWS’ President,
Council also
made commitments
towards water
conservation. One fact
the Vista Ridge
discussion highlighted
was that all growth is
not created equal and
while SAWS is
responsible for
conservation programs,
they can’t do
everything. The city
needs to manage growth
to ensure the
sustainability of
existing water
resources.
Specifically, Mayor
Ivy Taylor
expressed an interest
in examining current
land use ordinances to
assist in water
protection. This is
critical for two
reasons. First, much
of the new development
in San Antonio is over
the Edwards Aquifer
Recharge zone. Not
only do these new
developments use more
water, they threaten
the recharge and water
quality of the
Edwards. Second, the
landscaping of these
new homes defines the
size of its water
footprint. Xericaped
lawns without
irrigation systems
have a much different
impact than lawns with
large lots of
irrigated turf grass.
This is where the city
can and should play a
role. Limitations on
the amount of turf,
particularly in the
front lawns, as well
as requiring that
irrigation systems can
only be installed
after-market with
proper inspection
would help control the
water demands of new
homes while still
ensuring their appeal.
Buying water
from Vista Ridge
should mark the
beginning of a public
recommitment to water
conservation and
aquifer protection in
San Antonio. SAWS,
City Council, and the
citizens of San
Antonio should work
together to put
ordinances in place
that redefine this
commitment.
The post Next
Steps for San
Antonio’s Vista
Ridge Project
appeared first on Texas
Living Waters
Project.
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