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Boerne staff recommend against joining GBRA's large regional water project; council weighs trade-offs of growth control and cost
Summary
City staff told council the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority's proposed mega-project would be costly for Boerne ratepayers and would reduce the city's leverage over growth; staff recommended nonparticipation while continuing local options such as reclamation and ASR
City staff advised the Boerne City Council on July 8 that the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority's (GBRA) proposed, region-scale water project would be expensive for Boerne and could undermine the city's ability to use its municipal utility as a tool to influence local growth patterns.
Why it matters: The project offers large new water supplies for a fast-growing portion of central Texas but carries large capital and debt-service costs. Participation would require Boerne to commit to multi-decade payments and to plan capital work to move water from the I-35 corridor to Boerne's distribution system; staff said those costs could substantially increase local water rates and shift growth incentives.
What staff said
Mike Mann (presenting staff) explained that GBRA's project includes very large river intakes and aquifer storage-and-recovery…
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