The Guajolote Ranch is seen from the back porch of the Schick family home in San Antonio. Lennar Homes has proposed a wastewater treatment plant that would discharge 1 million gallons of treated wastewater at the site. That’s raised concerns about the potential contamination of the Edwards Aquifer. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News
Working together, we can protect the Edwards Aquifer from contamination by preventing wastewater dumping at Guajolote Ranch.
By Michael Wm. Schick,
For the San Antonio Express-News
Sept. 8, 2025
https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/commentary/article/edwards-aquifer-guajolota-ranch-21033009.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwcmVzc25ld3MuY29tL29waW5pb24vY29tbWVudGFyeS9hcnRpY2xlL2Vkd2FyZHMtYXF1aWZlci1ndWFqb2xvdGEtcmFuY2gtMjEwMzMwMDkucGhw&time=MTc1NzUwNzQyNDYzNQ%3D%3D&rid=NWIwZDFmZTgtODVjMS00MmFjLWFmOGEtZTNhODg2OWIzYTdm&sharecount=Mg%3D%3D
One of the most popular science fiction movies of the 20th century is “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.”
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The climax occurs when the hero, Luke Skywalker, fires a nearly impossible but precise shot into the exhaust port of the Death Star, a moon-size super weapon built by the evil Galactic Empire with the sole purpose of destroying planets occupied by the rebels.
When the Death Star explodes, the audience erupts into wild cheers and applause, relieved that innocent lives were spared.
The evil Death Star, while lethal, had an Achilles’ heel — the exhaust port, and Skywalker used “the Force” to hit the target.
In a similar way, San Antonio also has an Achilles’ heel in its own “star.” But our star isn’t evil; it’s good. It’s called the Edwards Aquifer, the primary source of clean drinking water for nearly 2 million people in 13 counties.
This “star” is a source of life, not death. And the Achilles’ heel of the Edwards Aquifer is Guajolote Ranch, a beautiful 1,160-acre property in the Hill Country of northwest Bexar County, where a housing development is planned.
Why is this ranch an Achilles’ heel? Because the geology under Guajolote Ranch is karst limestone, an extremely porous rock. Water and other fluids (good or bad) that land on top of Guajolote Ranch make their way to the Trinity Glen Rose Aquifer very quickly and then end up in the Edwards Aquifer soon thereafter. Karst limestone is a conduit, not a filter.
In the next few weeks and months, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Bexar County Commissioners Court and San Antonio City Council have to decide whether to let the housing developer dump 1 million to 4 million gallons of treated sewage water, containing hazardous substances like “forever chemicals,” each day onto the Guajolote Ranch. It’s a decision that could potentially harm thousands of innocent people.
READ MORE: Granting wastewater permit for Guajolote Ranch would put Edwards Aquifer at risk
Which leads to an obvious question: Why would any elected or appointed public official gamble with the health, safety and welfare of innocent citizens? Don’t they realize that the unintended consequences of allowing wastewater dumping on the Guajolote Ranch can be just as devastating as an intentional act of water supply terrorism?
Water supply terrorism isn’t a theory, or science fiction, or merely a scare tactic. Throughout history and around the world, very real sinister forces have sabotaged water systems as an act of control, vengeance or self-interest.
Whether done intentionally or unintentionally, the poisoning of water supplies is a terrifying prospect.
How do we stop this from happening in and around San Antonio? How do we protect our precious “star” from death?
We may not have a make-believe Force to save the day, but we do have a real force to be harnessed in voters, scientists, lawmakers, regulators, journalists and other influencers who can prevent water contamination from harming citizens in San Antonio and 12 surrounding counties.
Working together, we can protect the Edwards Aquifer from nefarious misadventures.
Let’s hope and pray that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Bexar County Commissioners Court and San Antonio City Council deny any dumping of treated wastewater into the Edwards Aquifer.
Michael Wm. Schick lives in Northwest San Antonio. He is a former spokesman for the president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate.