{"id":108836,"date":"2025-08-01T00:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T00:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/108836\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T00:00:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T00:00:10","slug":"351-million-in-san-antonio-taxpayer-money-wasted-if-proposed-wastewater-treatment-plant-approved-neighbor-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/108836\/","title":{"rendered":"$351 million in San Antonio taxpayer money wasted if proposed wastewater treatment plant approved, neighbor says"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 A northwest Bexar County resident is expressing outrage over a proposed wastewater treatment plant that could compromise San Antonio\u2019s drinking water, potentially squandering $351 million in taxpayer funds meant for water protection.<\/p>\n

Lisa Muyres-Pack says San Antonio taxpayers should be upset.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may as well take the money that they\u2019re using and literally flush it down the toilet because that\u2019s what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Lisa Muyres-Pack said.<\/p>\n

She said $351 million of San Antonio taxpayer money that was spent to protect their drinking water will be flushed with treated wastewater if the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approves a wastewater treatment plant that would sit on top of the Helotes Creek watershed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That water feeds into the Edwards Aquifer, the source of drinking water for 1.7 million people in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels not only wasted, it feels insulting,\u201d Muyres-Pack said.<\/p>\n

Helotes Creek runs through Muyres-Pack\u2019s 35-acre property. <\/p>\n

She joined the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program<\/a> in 2018.<\/p>\n

The program buys easements along the aquifer \u2014 essentially buying the development rights from the owners \u2014 to prevent development that would hurt the aquifer.<\/p>\n

Since 2000, the city\u2019s Edwards Aquifer program has purchased 138 conservation easements, protecting more than 187,000 acres across six counties. <\/p>\n

Lennar Construction wants to build 2,500 homes next to Muyres-Pack\u2019s property, a project that would require a wastewater treatment plant.<\/p>\n

Neighbors in the area and researchers argue that this treated wastewater would flow into the aquifer, making the water undrinkable<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would you agree to be part of a program and let tax dollars be spent trying to preserve something that we know is very important, only to turn around and let a developer come in, make their money, and leave with all the problems they\u2019re going to create?\u201d Muyres-Pack said.<\/p>\n

She said this affects not just her, but everyone downstream \u2014 all the way to the South Side of San Antonio \u2014 and anyone who pays taxes in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it comes down to the economics of it, it doesn\u2019t make economic sense. It only makes economic sense for Lennar\u2019s shareholders,\u201d Muyres-Pack said.<\/p>\n

KSAT has reached out multiple times to Lennar Construction to ask about the impacts of the development and the questions residents and researchers are raising about this treatment facility. KSAT has not received a response or interview.<\/p>\n

The City of San Antonio released the following statement on Thursday:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City of San Antonio is aware of Lennar Homes\u2019 permit request to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for a proposed wastewater treatment facility associated with the Guajolote Ranch development.<\/p>\n

The City\u2019s Edwards Aquifer Protection Program (EAPP) has not invested any funding or resources related to this project.<\/p>\n

We understand that residents and researchers have raised concerns about the potential impacts of treated wastewater on the Helotes Creek watershed and, ultimately, the Edwards Aquifer. Any thorough analysis of these potential impacts would require a scientific study or modeling effort to assess water quality outcomes under both ideal conditions and potential exceedances of TCEQ permit limits.<\/p>\n

San Antonio remains strongly committed to protecting the Edwards Aquifer through the EAPP, which has preserved over 187,000 acres of sensitive land in the recharge and contributing zones. This long-standing program reflects the community\u2019s shared commitment to safeguarding our most vital water resource for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

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