Permit #13001906
Public comment deadline is looming! Submit your comments before Sunday, April 21!
The future of water depends on US! The TCEQ has favored industry over the residents of the Texas Hill Country. We must stand together and fight for WATER.
The Water Pollution Abatement Plan (WPAP) is the second and final permit Alabama based Vulcan Construction Materials needs in order to start mining a 1,515-acre site (previously the White Ranch) in central Comal County between New Braunfels and Bulverde. The site sits entirely over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone (EARZ) and is surrounded by heavily populated residential and ranching communities. Notably, the pristine West Fork Dry Comal Creek runs through, and multiple caves lie beneath the surface of this scenic and consequential segment of the Texas Hill Country.
Vulcan’s proposed open-pit limestone mining operation in the Texas Hill Country would stretch across nearly three miles of the environmentally sensitive Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone (primary water supply for over two million people, including the cities of San Antonio and New Braunfels). Neighbors are concerned about air pollution, water supply and quality, truck traffic, destruction of caves, eminent domain for a railroad spur, and decreased property values that could result from the location of this heavy industrial facility in a residential area populated by over 15,000 people.
Not only does White Ranch sit atop the EARZ but the West Fork Dry Comal Creek runs through it, converging downstream with the Dry Comal Creek before merging with the Comal River in New Braunfels. The Comal River is fed by springs from the Edwards Aquifer and is home to several endangered species. The clear, temperate waters of the Comal are widely used for recreational swimming and tubing activities before discharging into the Guadalupe River. Dry Comal Creek and Comal River are essential natural resources in Comal County, supporting economic development and recreation in the city, as well as agricultural operations and wildlife throughout the area. Comal County has numerous waterways — Dry Comal, Cibolo, Rebecca, and Honey creeks; Comal and Guadalupe rivers; Comal and Hueco springs, the Trinity and Edwards aquifers; and Canyon Lake. If any of these water sources becomes polluted or is irreparably harmed, the others are in danger as well.
A quarry (Vulcan), sitting in the middle of all these water resources would present numerous challenges to these many interlinked systems, leaving our community exposed to water quality and quantity sustainability issues.
Unfortunately, it has not been common practice for TCEQ to have public meetings or contested case hearings for WPAPs, but PHCE strongly believes this application calls for both. Local and state leaders have been asked to submit public meeting requests on their constituent’s behalf.
To submit a public comment:
Reference: Opposition to Vulcan Comal Quarry
TCEQ Edwards Aquifer Permit #: 13001906
Comments must include concerns regarding the potential impact on surface and/or groundwater quantity and quality. Also, in the comment, request a public meeting and a contested case hearing. See Hydrogeology Report here!
Comments can be submitted two ways: You may submit as many public comments as you want up until the April 21st (Sunday) deadline.
Mail Option:
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Edwards Aquifer Protection Program
MC R11
PO Box 13087
Austin TX 78711-3087
Email Option:
EAPP@tceq.texas.gov
Our families deserve to have a reliable and pure water supply, clean air, and a safe environment. We are committed to our community and working with our representatives in order to achieve a balance between industry and citizens.
