(Geronimo) — The wastewater treatment plant permit application that was submitted for a future housing development in the Geronimo area has been withdrawn from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Confirming that news is Ward Ling, Geronimo and Alligator Creek Watershed coordinator for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Ling says
the TCEQ stated that the permit applicant, Gram Vikas Partners, withdrew the application for a proposed treatment plant that was planned to discharge to Geronimo Creek.
In December 2018, an application was made to the TCEQ for construction of a new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) that would discharge to the headwaters of Geronimo Creek. Ling says the proposed WWTP would have been located approximately 3,800 feet southwest of the intersection of State Highway 123 and FM 758.
“As far as the application, my role is just to inform people about it. TCEQ has their permit process. It has built into it a public participation component. So, through the project website, GeronimoCreek.org, we had information up there on how to track it, how to provide feedback. In communicating with TCEQ, every time I would contact their permitting department, they were just overwhelmed at the amount of public feedback that they were receiving on the application. I think they had over 70 comment letters submitted (and) over 20 requests for a public meeting. Some of the folks and Tammy Harborth with the Grain Bin restaurant was instrumental in gathering community support and community input on the project. They put together a meeting at the Navarro High School gym partway through that public input process and had a county commissioner (and) some others there (plus) the developer for kind of an informal question, answer period. So, I credit the community with just making their voice be heard. I stay neutral on it and just try to allow folks to get information on how to be a part of the process,” said Ling.
According to Ling, the proposed discharge route was from the plant site via force mains to a man-made ditch, then to a tributary of Geronimo Creek. The WWTP was to supply wastewater treatment for a proposed 1,000 home subdivision.
Ling says the application being withdrawn is the only thing that he is aware of today. He does, however, say that the TCEQ reported that the permit was withdrawn for consideration from the review process, and that the applicant was working out terms for a municipal wastewater provider. But again, those plans have not yet been made official.
“The application has been withdrawn. That’s just in relation to the permit. I don’t know anything about the proposed development (and its) other means of disposal for wastewater and I don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like. But for now, the application for the wastewater plant that would eventually be discharged to Geronimo Creek has been withdrawn for consideration from the TCEQ by the applicant and that’s all that I really know for now. I don’t know if the development is going to move forward and if it does, they’ll find some other means for disposal,” said Ling.
Ling says informing the public about the status of such permits is part of his job duties. He says the Watershed Protection Plan’s main focus is to “restore and protect the creeks” and hopes this latest development further encourages and engages residents to take an active part in managing the local waterways.
“My whole focus is to implement the Watershed Protection Plan which is to protect Geronimo and Alligator Creeks from runoff pollution. As of now, there are no permanent dischargers — the discharge to Geronimo Creek — except for one, the City of Seguin wastewater plant down near where Geronimo meets the Guadalupe River. So what I encourage people to do, we have a Healthy Lawns, Healthy Waters Program coming up that will talk to folks and I know we are in the midst of heavy rains but it will talk to people about managing their lawns in the cities and the subdivisions. We will give a free soil test. They can go by the county office and pick up their sample bags beforehand. That event is going to be Tuesday, June 25 from 1 to 5 p.m. in Seguin and the GBRA River annex there on Nolan Street and it’s a free event. We are going to give away a rainwater harvesting barrel and hopefully, the rains will subside and that will be an attraction for folks. My whole role is to try and get folks to do all they can on their city lots, on their property, on their acreage, to reduce run-off pollution from bacteria and nutrients and whatever else they manage on site,” said Ling.
Registration for the Healthy Lawns Healthy Waters Program is available by emailing Ling at wling@tamu.edu.