“Where do we go from here?” “Is it over?”
“Have we lost?” These are a few of the many questions I hear from residents
and business owners who learned that Federal Judge Royal Furgeson dismissed
our suit to require the Army’s Corps of Engineers to study the impact of the
massive water diversion from Canyon Lake and the Guadalupe River before
allowing GBRA to built its huge pumping station.
To each one, I have answered, emphatically, “No. It’s not over and FOCL
still has a vital mission. Here’s why….”
1.The state of Texas and its agencies,
principally TCEQ and GBRA, have decided that the Guadalupe River watershed
and Canyon Lake are expendable in order to satisfy a near-term need for
water to support unbridled growth in the San Antonio megaplex and the Hill
country.
2.Our legislators and elected officials
have not assisted in our struggle to protect the river and the lake, at
least until we can get some clear, objective impact research performed. In
fact, there are indications some may be spearheading the GBRA effort, and
even prompting TCEQ managers to override staff recommendations.
3.The Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality has enacted lax wastewater treatment standards. Some would say
their enforcement of even these lax standards is weak. Wastewater
treatment and discharge is a profit-center for GBRA. Declining water
quality in the Guadalupe River and Canyon Lake is emerging as an even
greater concern than water level. This is true from above the lake, all
the way to San Antonio Bay in the Gulf.
4.The unbridled development along the river
is creating huge amounts of impervious cover (streets, parking lots,
driveways, foundations, etc.). The Guadalupe is already one of the
fastest-filling watersheds in the world during heavy rain events. The
“”500 year” flood events of 1998 and 2002 are precursors to more frequent
and severe flooding as development continues.
5.Without help from our elected officials,
citizens groups like FOCL represent the only pressure to study these
initiatives and perhaps slow the effort to destroy the lake and river for
immediate profit.
So, we are all vulnerable to special
interests in the state and the legislature. Until there are competing,
sympathetic governmental entities, perhaps through new municipal
incorporation, we are the last…and only…bastion of protection for the
beautiful and irreplaceable Guadalupe River and Canyon Lake. At this time,
we are looking to hold a large, well-publicized Pow-Wow of all the
stakeholders along the river to discuss and plan our future strategy.
Bottomline: It’s NOT over. Get more involved.
This is YOUR organization and we need YOUR help and YOUR continued
donations!
Bob Wickman
President of the
Board
Friends of Canyon Lake