Bill Text: TX HCR121 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Urging the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to take immediate and decisive action to protect the Edwards Aquifer.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2025-03-24 - Referred to Natural Resources [HCR121 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HCR121-Introduced.html
| 89R20475 KSM-F | ||
| By: Dorazio | H.C.R. No. 121 | |
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| WHEREAS, The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most prolific and | ||
| pristine artesian aquifers in the world, and it is a vital source of | ||
| clean and sustainable groundwater for millions of Texans; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The aquifer covers approximately 4,350 square miles | ||
| of South Central Texas, and for generations, residents and | ||
| policymakers in the region have worked to preserve and responsibly | ||
| manage this invaluable natural resource, which supplies the region | ||
| with essential water for agricultural, industrial, recreational, | ||
| and domestic use; the aquifer is also the primary sustainable | ||
| source of clean drinking water for 1.7 million Texans, including | ||
| residents of San Antonio, America's seventh largest city; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A karst geological system with extremely high | ||
| porosity and permeability, the Edwards Aquifer allows for rapid | ||
| infiltration of surface water through an extensive network of | ||
| conduits, fractures, and faults; this makes it highly susceptible | ||
| to irreversible contamination from wastewater discharge and other | ||
| emerging contaminants that pose severe and potentially fatal health | ||
| risks to humans, wildlife, and ecosystems; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is the | ||
| primary regulatory body responsible for ensuring that no | ||
| development within the region compromises the purity and safety of | ||
| the aquifer; the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program, created by the | ||
| TCEQ, was designed to establish and enforce best management | ||
| practices that prevent contaminants from reaching the Edwards | ||
| Aquifer during and after construction activities; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A study by the Southwest Research Institute, funded | ||
| through the city of San Antonio's Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan, | ||
| found that any type of wastewater system releasing treated effluent | ||
| in the Helotes Creek watershed, such as the proposed Guajolote | ||
| Ranch wastewater disposal plan in Bexar County, would | ||
| "significantly degrade the watershed and the quality of water | ||
| recharging the Edwards Aquifer"; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The Edwards Aquifer is an irreplaceable state | ||
| treasure, requiring immediate and long-term protection, and | ||
| elected officials at every level, along with non-elected regulatory | ||
| bodies, should advocate for and implement policies and practices | ||
| that safeguard the quality and sustainability of one of the most | ||
| valuable natural resources in Texas; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby urges the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to take | ||
| immediate and decisive action to protect the Edwards Aquifer and | ||
| its recharge zones and contributing zones from irreversible | ||
| contamination from treated effluents discharged by any wastewater | ||
| systems or toxic substances released through construction or other | ||
| activities; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward an | ||
| official copy of this resolution to the commissioners of the Texas | ||
| Commission on Environmental Quality. | ||
