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Residents urge county action on groundwater protections and unchecked growth
Summary
During public comment, residents asked Comal County to pursue stronger protections for the Trinity Aquifer, explore legislative workarounds, and clarify the court's position on high-density growth and TCEQ permitting of wastewater facilities.
During the public-comment period at the April 16 meeting, residents urged county officials to take a more proactive role on groundwater protection and to be transparent about what the county can and cannot do under state law.
Lisa Brigger, who identified herself as a member of the board of Fisher Neighbors, told commissioners that the Hill Country area was declared a critical groundwater area decades ago and that recent actions by neighboring groundwater districts to pause certain permits show the need for county leadership. "It's time for Comal County also to become proactive in protecting the Trinity Aquifer," Brigger said, and she recommended steps including consultation with the attorney general's office and lobbying state legislators to equalize groundwater district powers.
Ruth Ann McIvor, speaking later, asked county leaders to make clear where they stand on unchecked high-density growth in unincorporated areas and to identify the state officials who, in her view, block county authority to act. She also asked representatives from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality who were present to explain how the agency's processing of permits for high-volume wastewater treatment facilities aligns with its conservation mandate.
Why it matters: Commenters framed groundwater and growth as interlinked issues that affect long-term water availability, urging commissioners to pursue legal and policy strategies to protect aquifers while noting the limits of county authority under state law.
