Author: dyoungblood

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The Canyon Lake Fight

Here is another article. This one is on what is happening down on Canyon Lake. I am sure you, like most of us, felt some kind of relief at the recent announcement about the lack of water in the Canyon Lake are and that there was not enough water for all the developments that are planned. 

Canyon Lake residents recently met to learn more. Nathan Glavy from the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance was there to talk about the process of challenging a permit to discharge. Yes, this community is fighting development on two fronts: 1) there is not enough water to support the planned build 2) just because the lake is dry doesn’t mean it is a good idea to discharge effluent into a lake bed, dry stream or river bed. 

Don’t suppose there is a developer out there willing to build a neighborhood where every home is equipped with a rainwater catchment system so no one has to drill a well or pipe in water from a provider. Who knows? That may be the only way in the near future.

Here is a link to the article: https://mycanyonlake.com/town-hall-planned-to-teach-residents-how-to-fight-proposed-850-home-development-north-of-canyon-lake/

 

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Don’t Waste Wastewater!

I am sure the title of this post is confusing, at best. Here is a great article that explains what it means:  https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27042025/texas-wastewater-polluting-rivers-streams/

Stephanie Morris wades through an algae bloom on the South Fork San Gabriel River near her house in Leander. Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News
What wastewater looks like in a Texas Hill Country stream.

While this article goes into detail about why and how we need to stop wasting wastewater, here is the short version:

  • All water is valuable
  • Wastewater cannot be discharged into creeks and rivers
    • it is rich in nutrients
    • it may appear clear and good
    • but it is too rich for our hill country creeks and rivers
  • What can be done with wastewater?
    • water lawns & sport fields
    • water golf courses
    • sell it!
  • Totally crazy:
    • watering lawns with perfectly good drinking water
    • dumping wastewater into hill country creeks and rivers

That’s about it for the short version and, truthfully, it’s what we’ve been saying here at the Pedernales River Alliance since day one. BTW, if you are just letting your a/c condensate drip, put a bucket under it and use the water to water your plants.

Many thanks to Climate News for a great article!!

In Booming Central Texas, Wastewater Is Polluting Rivers and Streams

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Lawns, Oh My!

Did you know that approximately 60% of water usage goes toward watering landscapes, especially lawns.

We are in an exceptional drought that may well prove to be the new normal. We need to get our act together and stop pouring gallons of potable water on to our lawns.

In reality, if your lawns die from lack of water, even better! Because that dead grass can be more easily removed and you can begin the important task of creating an oasis of native plants, including native grasses and adapted turf that use far less water than St. Augustine or Bermuda lawns.

Bonus: native plants are a huge draw for butterflies, hummingbirds and other wildlife and generally need way less supplemental water than non-natives. AND you do not have to fertilize native plants because they are generally tolerant of our poor soil. Woohoo!

Okay, I get it when you recoil in horror at the thought of letting your lawn die. Maybe you can carve out a small area, a place where the kids and pups can play. Keep that space in lawn and then design around that space.

Water with rainwater you catch by putting a big barrel under a downspout. I know it hasn’t really rained in awhile but be prepared for when it does. Set that barrel in place and put a filter in the top so that leaves and junk do not clog your barrel. I use an old plastic planting pot as my filter. Usually those come with just a few holes in the bottom. You still have to empty it occasionally but that is not much work at all.

Happy Planting!
Deb

 

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Protecting the Pedernales and The Dangers of Direct Discharge

The Pedernales River is one of Texas’s most cherished waterways, an ecological, recreational, and cultural treasure that defines the Hill Country. As stewards of this vital resource, the Pedernales River Alliance (PRA) has opposed the wastewater permit application (WQ0016363001) submitted by the Village at Grape Creek (now the Village at Fredericksburg) to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The Village -Fredericksburg is located on Hwy. 290, near Jenschke Lane and consists of 242 tiny home units with amenities, including “the largest resort-style pool in all of Fredericksburg”. If approved, this permit would allow the discharge of 20,000 gallons per day of treated wastewater into Beckmann Branch, a tributary of the Pedernales, threatening water quality, habitat integrity, and the rural character of the region.

The Village’s Wastewater Discharge permit application is making its tortuous way through TCEQ. Over 125 individuals and groups submitted comments, all in opposition to the permit and a contentious public hearing was held on June 13, 2024 at the Inn at Baron’s Creek.

On February 27, 2025, the TCEQ Commissioners will decide three main issues:

    • if a contested case hearing will be held by the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH)
    • if a hearing is granted, who has “standing” to participate in the hearing and
    • what issues can be raised at the hearing.

The Pedernales River Alliance is asking for standing to participate.  Our position is that Hill Country streams are not wastewater pipelines. Even with modern treatment technologies, direct discharge introduces nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus into the water, and which can fuel algae blooms, degrade aquatic habitats, and reduce water clarity. The Pedernales is already
facing water quality challenges, and adding more pollutants could have devastating long-term effects.

Beckmann Branch is a small, sensitive stream with intermittent flow and does not have the capacity to dilute and assimilate wastewater like larger rivers do. During dry periods, effluent could make up the majority of its flow, turning a dry stream into a wastewater conduit. The result? Increased risks of contamination, reduced oxygen levels for aquatic life, and increased threats to landowners, agriculture, and wildlife.

The Pedernales watershed is home to working ranches, wildlife corridors, and families who have lived along these waters for generations. Increased wastewater discharge poses risks to groundwater recharge, drinking water wells, and livestock operations that depend on clean water.

The porous Hensel Sand Formation is located at the surface of the site and waste water discharge has the potential to influence nearby water wells. Moreover, the river supports diverse wildlife, including sensitive fish and amphibian species that require pristine conditions to survive.

Yes, there is an Alternative: Land Application, a responsible alternative to direct discharge. Beneficial land applications where treated wastewater is used for irrigation rather than being dumped into Beckmann Branch offers a sustainable approach that protects waterways while still accommodating responsible growth. The Fredericksburg Standard on January 22, 2025 told how Arch Ray Development has done a “180 on 290”, and will not be directly discharging into the Pedernales. The Village at Grape Creek should be required to do the same.

TCEQ must prioritize water quality over development. Texas law mandates that TCEQ safeguard the state’s water resources. Granting this permit would undermine that duty and set a dangerous precedent for future developments seeking to discharge into sensitive Hill Country creeks and rivers. The Pedernales River Alliance is urging TCEQ to deny this application and
require the developer to adopt a wastewater solution that does not jeopardize our water.

The Hill Country is at a crossroads. Will we allow unregulated growth to degrade the natural treasures that make this region special? Or will we demand responsible development that respects our land, water, and communities? The answer should be clear: TCEQ should protect
Beckmann Branch, protect the Pedernales, and reject this permit.
To support the efforts of Pedernales River Alliance, join and contribute at
Pedernalesriveralliance.org

Give Today!

The Pedernales River Alliance (PRA) is a member of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA).  One of the things that GEAA helps us with is the collection of donations. 

Follow this link to the  GEAA Donation Page
 
When you see “Write a Note” 
Click on it and Insert “for Pedernales River Alliance”
 
Thank you very much for helping us care for our River.
 

Katherine Peake
830 998-1778
kbfpeake@gmail.com

 

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Contested Case Hearing

Some of you may have received a ton of paper from TCEQ this past week. You are receiving it because you made comments concerning The Village at Fredericksburg’s (used to be Grape Creek) permit to dump 20,000 gallons of Type 1 effluent into Beckmann Branch.

The Branch is actually a recharge zone for the Hensel Aquifer. The Ellenburber lies just below the Hensel. Dumping Type 1 into the Branch is not a good idea if we want to preserve and protect our aquifers. But the Village does not really care about that. They think they should be allowed to dump into the Branch regardless of what we want. Because we have asked for this permit to go before a Contested Case Hearing, a lot of paper has been generated.

Read it all. You need to know what we are up against. Our opponents are high powered attorneys from Houston who do not care at all about our aquifers. We also know that there are some legitmate disposal methods for Type 1 effluent which is what The Village will be producing. With a little purple piping they could send their effluent over to water the lawns at some of the facilities around them. They do plan to use some for their own irrigation. Why not install storage tanks for fire fighting? There are lots of ways to use Type 1 effluent that we do not need to go into here. Just be aware that the Village refuses to entertain any of those ideas.

Anyway, back to all that paper. No one needs to attend the Feb 27 meeting. The Commission will not take oral argument or comments on the hearing requests. One of the Commissioners will likely walk through a prepared analysis and make a recommendation. The other two will likely agree with that analysis. They will make a motion, vote, and it will probably be over in about 5 minutes. That being said, if people want to attend, they are certainly welcome, though I think because the ED has recommended granting PRA and GEAA’s hearing requests, it is less important that people attend but Pedernales River Alliance members Will be present along with our lawyers.

It is what happens after the Feb 27 hearing when we will need your help. We know that we will need help identifying locations where there are Fatmuckets (fresh water mussel that are endangered). We will likely have to hire a biologist for this effort. We will likely have to hire others who can provide expert testimony about other issues. How can you help?

Tell your friends and neighbors about the Village and their plans to dump effluent into your drinking water. Tell your friends that the Pedernales River Alliance is fighting back. Donate to help us continue the fight — no donation is too large! https://www.pedernalesriveralliance.org/donate-to-the-pedernales-river-alliance-gillespie-county/

 

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County Makes a Step in the Right Direction

Why should you care about coun­ty subdivision rules?

The Gillespie County Commissioners will be considering  a  change to the Subdivision and Manufactured Home Rental Community Regulations this month. The changes decrease the density of future subdivi­sions and manufactured home rental communities (MHRC).

Are these changes important? We believe they are, we support these changes and we urge you to support them, too.   •

The Texas Hill Country is one of the fastest-grow­ing regions in the nation. Population in Gillespie County has grown by near­ly 50% in the past 20 years and is expected to grow another 35% in the coming 20years.

In Gillespie County alone, a staggering 7,588 new lots or units are currently proposed or under con­struction, according to the Gillespie County Economic Development Commission. Where will all these new folks live? Increasingly, subdivisions and manu­factured home rental com­ munities (MHRC) pop up in unincorporated areas, where there is almost no land use planning authority to help guide and manage growth.

In Gillespie County, it is estimated that from 1990-2020, growth in unincor­ porated areas was 50%.

Why do developers target unincorporated areas?

Lower land prices, lower taxes, and

the appeal of “country” living drives much of this growth.

Further, for developers, the lack of county regula­tion is attractive.

Counties cannot zone for land use or set development standards, such as requir­ing sewer and wastewater system performance or fire suppression systems to the same extent .as municipalities.

Counties also cannot require buffers between incompatible neighboring land uses (such as mining or battery energy storage systems next to residences) nor can they require resi­dential developers to pre­serve open space for rec­reation and environmental protections.

Nor can they charge impact fees to cover the costs of services that the new home buyers will expect.

Of course, the ability to employ any of the tools mentioned above would be helpful to rapidly growing counties but would require changes to state law that are unlikely in the near future.

Commissioners may not have many tools to work with, but one tool they do have the authority to change the density of lots and spaces in new develop­ ments.

These proposed county rule changes will not solve the problems we face with a burgeoning population but they are definitely a step in the right direction.

We urge you to let your county commissioner know you support reduc­ing the density of subdi­visions and manufactured home rental communi­ties. We also urge you to attend the Commissioners Court meeting at 9 a.m. on Monday, December 23,  at the Gillespie County Courthouse to show your support.

For questions or more specific information, please visit
https://pedernalesriveral­liance.org for our contact information.

By Katherine Peake

Peake is a former Fredericksburg resident and municipal judge, now residing in Blanco County. She has been active in conservation­ related causes. She wrote this with Pedernales River Alliance steering committee members Deb Youngblood, Kris Weidenfeller and Ryan Behrends.

 

 

 

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Club Remorse

by Katherine Peake

After the “Developers, pants first, then shoes” article, I received a phone call from a couple who had bought property in one of the condominium development projects and now had buyer’s regret. You might get the same mailings and emails that I do.

These developments look so appealing. They’re attractive renderings and advertisements of “all-inclusive world-class amenities” like a resort-style pools and splash pads, hot tubs, yoga studios, amphitheaters, pickle ball courts, fire pits and eye-catching common areas. It also sounds urgent, “one day only specials” and most importantly, it sounds affordable, with home sites starting at $159,900. For Fredericksburg, where the median home listing price is almost $800,000, that sounds like a real deal.

So why do they have buyer’s regret? “We were promised we could start building in August”, But sadly, they didn’t get this in writing and the 210 page condominium rules had proved overwhelming. Did you know that they didn’t have a TCEQ waste water permit yet? Well, no, they didn’t. So, if you’re thinking of buying in one of these developments, to avoid buyer’s remorse, start
 with a few questions.

ASK: Is this in the City or County? County rules are much more lax, and developers like less rules, but issues of utilities, especially water availability and waste water treatment are more complicated because they aren’t provided by the City.

ASK: Where will the water come from? Is the development currently in a Critical Groundwater Depletion Area? Has a Stage 4 Drought been declared? Does you have a commercial well permit? For how much water? How is this measured? Can groundwater be used to fill the “resort-style” pool? Will there be limitations on my water use? If nearby wells start to go dry, can other landowners sue me personally?

ASK: How will the waste be handled? Will there be a septic system or wastewater discharge? Do these need a permit? Who gives these permits? Does the development already have a permit for this? If not, how long will it take? Does the community have environmental concerns about waste water discharge? Who would I talk with to find out more about this?

ASK: Is any part of the development in the flood zone? Understanding that there are different flood zone maps, ASK which one is the developer using. Are there other maps that show the land is in the flood zone?

ASK: When will the developers be turning over the running of the development to the Homeowners Association (HOA)? Will the developers be long gone at this point? Will the HOA be responsible for water shortages, permitting and water use violations? Will the HOA be responsible for running the waste water treatment plant?

ASK: How much will the initial monthly fee be? Does the HOA have the right to fine me if I violate one of their rules? Can the rules be changed? How? Who determines if a rule is broken? What happens if I can’t or don’t pay it? Can the Condo Association put a lien on my property? What happens if there’s a problem with the waste water treatment system, the swimming pool, the amenities? Who is responsible? The bottom line and my advice is READ EVERYTHING, ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS, get answers in writing and read the 210 page document. Carefully. At least twice.

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A Big Thank-you!

On Monday evening, August 19, people from all over the Hill Country came together in one place to voice opposition to the discharge of treated wastewater by Arch Ray, LLC.  into the Pedernales River. Some came from Austin, San Antonio, Llano, Blanco, Johnson City and many from Gillespie County to clearly say to the Arch Ray developers, “No discharge of wastewater into the Pedernales River!”

We all know that there is a connection between groundwater (aquifers) and surface water (rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, etc.) In the Pedernales River, we know it for certain. When August hits, the Pedernales goes to ground leaving a spate of puddles behind in pockets of limestone (karst.) Walk the exposed karst and you will still find life, the remnants that will bring life to the river when it returns. Sit and watch the wild untamed riverbanks where black willow sways in the afternoon breeze. Look carefully, you may find a tiny cypress growing in a willow nursery. In the stillness, all sorts of animals come forth: snakes, birds, insects of all sorts. The little water that is still present ties all of this together and includes us.

Every Hill Country stream is connected within a larger River’s watershed. As the water flows, the stream connects to the River; the River grows. Communities are connected along the banks of the River. Walking the River, listening to it, wading, swimming, baptizing, always wary because it can grow in a flash. The power of the River is ignored or minimized at one’s peril but, even when it is at its greatest, we still come together and bear witness to its strength.

On August 19, people came from all over the Hill Country to bear witness to the ebb and flow of the River, to acknowledge the power of the River in their lives. At the Pedernales River Alliance we are grateful for each scientist, naturalist, and resident who came and testified – together, we shall not allow our River to be polluted. Evidence of each persons’ commitment comes in various ways: picking up trash, removing old dams and weirs, limiting the use of fertilizers and pesticides, allowing nature to re-establish the natural growth along the riverbanks, planting only native plants, and speaking out about their care for the River. On behalf of the Pedernales River Alliance, thank you.

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Public Meeting with TCEQ and Arch Ray Developers

Friends,

I am posting this on the website because you, gentle reader,  are a vital member of the Pedernales River Alliance and right now, we need you.
 
TCEQ has scheduled a meeting on ArchRay’s request for a permit to dump 35,000 gal of treated wastewater into the Pedernales every day. If you have not already submitted your comments online, please do so now. If you have learned how detrimental treated wastewater is to Hill Country Rivers, including the Pedernales River, and want to make comments, please do so.
 
Here is how to make Comments to TCEQ:
Enter this permit #WQ0005452000
Fill in your personal information
Enter your comments or questions regarding this permit in the Comments block
Submit
 

Mark your calendars, The Public Meeting will be held on 

Monday, August 19, 2024 at 7:00p
Rockbox Theater
109N. Llano Street
Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
 
After introductions, you may ask the developers or TCEQ any question. Please note, if you have already asked your questions in your online comments, it is not necessary to ask them again as all online questions will be answered offline via USPS. However, if you feel that your question(s) is important enough to ask it in this public forum, do so. During this part of the meeting you may also make comments to describe what the Pedernales River means to you. Please limit your questions and comments to this permit. This is an open discussion time with the developers and TCEQ. Note: comments or questions made during this first period are not for the record.
 
Please plan to stay for the second half of the meeting, which is very important. Any questions or comments you have not submitted online can be asked for the record during this time. It is vital that we get your unasked questions and comments recorded. If you are unable to stay, please consider writing your comments and questions down and submitting them for the record. 
 
The Pedernales River is a direct recharge zone for the aquifer that provides drinking water to most of Gillespie County. No treated wastewater is fit to drink. Help us protect our drinking water and our river.
 
Regards,
Deb
 
P.S. Please share this message with others who care about clean drinking water.
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Citizens Stand Up & Speak Up for the Pedernales River

On Jun 13, 2024, a large crowd of Gillespie County citizens showed up to ask questions and make comments to Developers of the Village – Fredericksburg (formerly known as the Village at Grape Creek) and TCEQ. The Village has applied for a permit to pollute  – to dump 20,000 gallons of treated wastewater into Beckman Branch (just west of Jenschke Lane off Hwy 290.)

It was clear that no citizens present in the room were supportive of the permit. Many were angry at the thought the dumping that would be approved by the permit. Some concerns were odor, pollution of the aquifers, pollution of local wells, the density of the development, noise, flooding potential, and more. Many cited the years and generations of their families who have lived on the Pedernales River and the importance of the River to them.

As expected, there were two opportunities to speak. The first was supposed to last for 1 hour but went well over. During the first comment time, people lined up to speak. It was an informal time when they could ask questions of the Developers or TCEQ. During this Informal time, the Developers or TCEQ attempted to answer questions. During the second time, Formal Comments were recorded for the record. TCEQ or the Developer will formally respond in writing via US post to each comment/question that was submitted.

Now that the formal comment time has expired, all comments/questions that were submitted online or by fax or mail or during the Formal Comment period at this meeting, will be answered. Upon answering these questions, TCEQ will make the decision to approve or disapprove the permit. We hope that the permit will be disapproved or that the Developers will decide to drop this permit in exchange for a No Discharge Permit. Until we hear one way or another, we wait.

Thank-you for caring enough to show up and speak up. Please continue to conserve water as we are still in drought conditions, pick up trash along roads and at river crossings. Take good care of the Pedernales River – there is non other like it.