Wastewater Pollution is Threatening the Texas Hill Country
From Austin to San Antonio, the Hill Country is experiencing population growth like never before and local communities are under pressure to address wastewater (aka sewage) needs. Much of this development sits on top of the Edwards Aquifer, which provides drinking water to rural residents and recharges our springs.
At Save Barton Creek Association (SBCA), we are fighting to prevent the direct discharge of sewage into our creeks through the No Dumping Sewage Campaign. The No Dumping Sewage Campaign is an effort to protect Hill Country streams and the Edwards Aquifer from wastewater pollution. This campaign is a collaboration between Save Barton Creek Association and other groups including Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, Clean Water Action, and Wimberley Valley Watershed Association.
Help us advocate for environmentally-friendly wastewater alternatives that provide community benefits rather than damaging our water with excess nutrients, bacteria and potential spills of raw sewage.
As more direct discharge permits and sewage plants threaten our waterways, opposition is growing to the polluting practice of direct discharge. Be a part of the movement by signing the petition at www.nodumpingsewage.org.
New Report: Hill Country Sewage Scorecard
Save Barton Creek Association has released a new report, “Pristine to Polluted: Sewage Problems & Solutions in the Texas Hill Country.” The report includes the Hill Country Sewage Scorecard, which grades all of the region’s municipal wastewater discharge facilities on how often they exceed the pollution limits in their state-issued permits.
Among the report’s key findings:
• 81% of all sewage discharge plants in the Hill Country have exceeded at least one of their pollutant limits since 2017.
• The average for all plants was 8.6 exceedances, and 188 days with exceedances, for the past three-and-a-half years.
• High levels of ammonia nitrogen and oxygen depletion, which can harm fish and other aquatic life, accounted for 49% of all exceedances.
• E. coli bacteria accounted for 25% of exceedances. The presence of E. coli is a sign that other fecal pathogens are present in water too.
Click here to read the full report: SBCA Hill Country Sewage Scorecard
Sign the No Dumping Sewage Petition!
We support a ban on dumping treated sewage into creeks and rivers above the Edwards Aquifer in favor of safer alternatives. We also call on public officials and candidates to stand with us against the direct discharge of treated sewage into Hill Country streams.