The city-owned water utility says it can't use water from Medina Lake, but it is still having to pay for it.
The Bexar-Medina-Atascosa Water Control and Improvement District No. 1 — more commonly known as BMA — is a water control and improvement district, which are entities created by the state and led by an elected board of directors. The districts can be involved in a number of functions, including flood control, irrigation, drainage and preservation of water resources.
The contract, which is set to run from 2008 through 2049, calls on BMA to supply SAWS with up to 19,974 acre-feet of water per year, to be paid for at a market rate set annually. One acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, and this year SAWS is paying about $165 per acre-foot. After taking on BexarMet’s agreement, SAWS tried to make it work, said Donovan Burton, the utility's vice president for water resources and government relations. In 2012, SAWS drew almost 7,000 acre-feet of water, BMABut in 2013, the water quality in Medina Lake became too poor for SAWS to treat at its filtration plant on the Medina RiverThat was due in part to low lake levels, the utility says.
While acknowledging the language in the contract, SAWS officials argue the agreement violates a Texas Water Code provision that water supply contracts must be “just and reasonable and without discrimination,” and also violates public policy.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden admin backs down from sweeping EV proposal after saying it would boost energy securityThe Biden administration backed off a proposal from last year that would have created a credit system under which petroleum refiners would be forced to pay electric car manufacturers.
Read more »
Yet another source saying no new iPhone SE in 2024: maybe 2025?Apple has tried to enter the mid-range phone market with the iPhone SE several times now, but it seems the company is not planning to release a new generation in 2024.
Read more »
3-car accident kills 1 on I-71 in Medina CountyA car accident early Thursday on I-71 has killed one person, officials say.
Read more »
Man pleads guilty in connection with death of 25-year-old woman found in Slavic VillageHamilton, of Medina, went missing on May 21, 2022 and her body was discovered inside a vacant home in the 3600 block of E. 54 Street in Slavic Village several days later.
Read more »