Boerne has a superior water system that often is taken for granted. Our water utility has three sources of water that take care of our customers: Boerne Lake, Canyon Lake and underground wells. Over the years, that mix has changed, and more water comes from Canyon Lake than anywhere else.
In 2019, we started a water committee to look at water from two key perspectives: conservation and consumption. From a conservation viewpoint, what can the city do to incentivize and encourage practices that lower the per capita usage of water? Also, what can water users do in their daily lives to lower the amount of water they use on a day-to-day basis?
With conservation as their primary focus, water committee members heard from many experts on areas to consider, and they have delivered an excellent set of recommendations to the city council. In fact, those recommendations already are being worked into the budget cycle for the upcoming budget year that starts in October, and you’ll certainly be hearing more about those opportunities.
The water committee has also looked at the consumption of water from a source perspective. In other words, are the three sources of water that we currently have adequate for the longterm view of Boerne? Also, how far out should that planning horizon be? What happens if we have a 1950s style drought again now that the population of Kendal County has grown so dramatically over the past 70 years?
In April 2022, city council members heard a presentation from Patrick Cohoon, the chairman of the water committee, and Darrell Nichols. Darrell is the senior deputy general manager at the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, which is the entity that manages the water coming from Canyon Lake.
In that discussion, Darrell suggested that our water planning horizon should be looking out 100 years as there are no new water sources available in the immediate area. He also made it clear that the water allocations that come from Canyon Lake are essentially spoken for, meaning the current wholesale customers, like Boerne, that get water from Canyon Lake for consumption will likely not be able to increase their allocation in the long term.
He shared a couple of long-range plans for surrounding areas that are considering building a pipeline from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer to areas northeast of San Antonio. While those plans are only high-level at the moment, there could be serious efforts underway in the next couple of years.
Why is that important to Boerne? I shared at this very meeting that we are not looking for future water sources that will increase the rate of development in our community. In all candor, most of the growth that has occurred in the city limits of Boerne is from the subdivisions that were approved over 10 years ago. However, the City Water Utility is responsible for ensuring that its water customers have superior water for the planning horizon.
To ensure the long-term viability of our water utility, we will have to look at a wide range of options. Conservation actions by all of us will certainly help, but as subdivisions like Esparanza, Regent Park, Southglen, The Ranches and others complete their plans, there will be more customers depending on the water system that the city of Boerne manages.
If this topic interests you, I suggest you take a look at the video of the April 12, 2022, meeting. It’s available on the city of Boerne’s website, under the government tab, under city council. You can click on the agenda item, No. 5a, and it will take you to the right spot in the video.
The infrastructure required for water requires long-range planning, which is the very purpose of the water committee that we formed in 2019. The answers to these long-range questions are not obvious, but I do know that the city staff and city council are highly engaged in addressing our future needs. As I’ve stated before, this is not an “urgent” need, but something that should be well thought, planned and implemented at the right time.
As this topic continues to evolve, I’ll continue to provide education and updates as we gain more insights.
Bis zum nächsten mal (until next time).
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