Helotes council adopts resolution opposing Lennar Homes MUD over wastewater, aquifer concerns

Helotes — The Helotes City Council voted Jan. 22 to adopt a resolution declaring opposition to a petition by Lennar Homes seeking San Antonio’s consent to create a Bexar County municipal utility district (MUD), after residents and council members raised concerns about wastewater discharge and risk to the Edwards Aquifer.

Residents and former officials told the council the MUD would be a financing tool for a proposed development of about 3,000 homes and a roughly $150,000,000 municipal utility district. Emery Bloom, president of the Scenic Loop/Palotus Creek Alliance, told the council the MUD proposal includes an on-site wastewater treatment plant that the public-comment speakers said would discharge an average of 1,000,000 gallons of treated sewage per day into Helotes Creek. "We really don't want any assistance from any government body to help Lennar with this horrible idea and this horrible project," Bloom said.

Former council member Cynthia Massey and other speakers urged members to oppose the petition, citing water-quality risks and noting that the Edwards Aquifer — the region’s sole source of drinking water, they said — supplies more than 2,500,000 people in south-central Texas. "This financing mechanism is yet another attempt for the developer to move forward to discharge wastewater into Helotes Creek and directly into the Edwards Aquifer," Massey said, and asked the council to "be on the right side of history." Lisa Muries Pack, who said she lives on the edge of Helotes along Scenic Loop Road, told the council the site's karst geology would allow applied effluent to travel through cracks and warned about impacts on private wells.

Pastor Fernando Lopez of Grace Church Helotes also addressed the council about a separate but related licensing question: he said an alcohol-license application for a business at 14108 Bandera Road lies within 300 feet of his church’s property boundary and that he filed a protest with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). "We come seeking what is right and good and honorable for our church," Lopez said.

Council members described a history of related actions and outreach on water-quality issues, including conversations with state regulators and federal representatives. Council discussion emphasized that a MUD’s initial board is commonly developer-appointed and that wastewater facilities operated or financed by such boards have, according to speakers, higher documented noncompliance and failure rates. "This MUD is just a financing tool for the developer, who will pass those costs on to the people who buy the homes," said a council member during debate.

Council member McGowan moved to approve the resolution; council member Sones seconded. The council voted to approve the resolution proclaiming opposition to the petition from Lennar to the City of San Antonio. The resolution does not alter any San Antonio process; it records Helotes’ official stance in the regional review process. The council did not record a formal enforcement action or regulatory change to Helotes’ code in this meeting.

What happens next: The petition’s ultimate approval rests with the City of San Antonio and other regulators; the Helotes resolution is a formal expression of opposition. Residents said they expect San Antonio and state agencies (including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) to continue to receive public input and technical materials related to the proposal.

Reported figures and claims: speakers said the proposed MUD financing would be about $150,000,000, the development would total roughly 3,000 homes, and the proposed on-site wastewater plant would discharge about 1,000,000 gallons per day into Helotes Creek; those figures were spoken by public commenters and included in council discussion. The council vote approved the opposition resolution; it did not itself grant or deny permits for the development. (Council action: resolution of opposition approved.)