The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance and local residents have heartburn over two projects proposed by Florida homebuilder, Lennar Corporation.
Lennar plans to build 2,900 homes on 1,100 acres of the Guajolote Ranch near Grey Forest and a proposed 1,100-home development on 600 acres with plans for an additional 1300 units near Comfort .
While we are very much aware of the need for affordable housing, siting such high-density projects on lands that furnish our water supplies will have long term adverse impacts. Both projects are on the Edwards Aquifer contributing zone.
Our issue with Lennar’s plans for the Guajolote Ranch is the potential to pollute San Antonio’s water supplies by discharging sewage effluent into Helotes Creek, which is a losing stream that recharges the Edwards Aquifer.
The Comfort 590 project proposes to discharge sewage effluent into Cypress Creek and, hence, to the Guadalupe River, which contributes to Trinity Aquifer recharge. Lennar also proposes to draw 250 gallons of groundwater per unit per day, threatening to deplete the already over-drafted Cow Creek formation of the Trinity Aquifer.
Compounding our anxiety in addressing these problem developments is our past experience of negotiating with Lennar.
In 2016, GEAA and the Bulverde Neighborhood Alliance ( BNA) signed a settlement agreement with Lennar for the 4S Ranch. The settlement called for, among other things, protection of a large recharge cave on the property and a stormwater drainage plan that would protect neighboring property owners.
In September of 2019, we learned that Lennar violated provisions of this settlement agreement. Lots were sold within the buffer zone agreed upon to protect the cave, and stormwater culverts were built that would inundate the property of downstream neighbors.
During a Oct. 24, 2019 storm that dropped 4.1 inches of rain, stormwater laden with mud and debris from construction of the subdivision deluged a contiguous property. Not only was Lennar in violation of the negotiated settlement, they were also in violation of their TCEQ-issued permits for requirements to meet the Clean Water Act.
GEAA and BNA ultimately secured an agreement to relocate the development’s stormwater detention pond and payment of $175,000 from Lennar and its contractors, Pape Dawson Engineers, Inc. and SACC, Inc., to remediate stormwater damage.
There was no way, however, to secure permanent protection of the recharge features that were violated, as the agreed- upon buffers were already encroached by newly built homes.
GEAA has had multiple discussions with Lennar about the developments within our service area due to the unique requirements of adequately protecting the Edwards and Trinity karst aquifers.
Even though they employ Pape Dawson Engineers, the authors of San Antonio’s Low Impact Development Manual, Lennar has declined to incorporate these best practices into their site designs.
The Edwards Aquifer is designated by the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) as the most environmentally vulnerable aquifer in the state. Scientists concur that to protect this groundwater supply, impervious cover should be limited to 10%.
GEAA has no problem with most of the Lennar developments slated for the San Antonio area. We only ask that Lennar respect the discrepancies between what constitutes good sites for their projects and refrains from moving forward with these two projects on the Edwards Aquifer contributing zone.
Annalisa Peace is executive director of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance.
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