The big picture
TWC President Aundrea Williams said they do not have a definitive timeline for resuming water services but will resume once they have the capacity to do so, according to a letter sent to affected developers.
Williams said TWC secured 6,000 acre-feet of untapped water in Comal County in 2023, and the company plans to start using that supply by 2026.
Comal County Commissioner Precinct 4 Jen Crownover told Community Impact that she is proud TWC had the courage to stop providing services and other utility services and the state should take notice.
“In an environment where we’re getting beat up nonstop, and it's a helpless situation ... it really restores faith,” Crownover said. “There needs to be a real paradigm shift in availability versus sustainability ... the exploitation of some of these developments [has] really gotten people’s attention.”
Crownover said the increase of development through municipal utility districts, or MUDs, has also contributed to these concerns, particularly after legislation passed in 2023 allowing developers to opt out of the extraterritorial jurisdiction.
“When we did have that [extraterritorial jurisdiction], it was kind of an extra layer of protection for our citizens because not only were the city's development standards enforced and met on the different developments, but then those are stricter than ours,” Crownover said.
According to Crownover, while the specific developments affected are not publicly available yet, aside from the Broken Cedar Ranch development, the changes will impact a total of 4,182 lots across the county including:
- Five projects in Precinct 1, totaling 2,334 lots
- Two projects in Precinct 2, totaling 638 lots
- Two projects in Precinct 4, totaling 1,210 lots
According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, 72.7% of Comal County is in extreme drought, and 27.3% are in exceptional drought, which is the highest drought classification.
In 2022, Comal County entered exceptional drought conditions and has faced ongoing drought conditions since.
Annalise Peace, Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance executive director, said while the city requires developers to submit water availability reports, the organization is concerned these reports do not present an accurate picture.
The Comal region is supplied by groundwater from the Trinity Aquifer and is typically slower to recharge, Peace said, which means that Comal residents can go into a water deficit if it's overpumped.
Crownover said she would like the county to move towards a more sustainable perspective with development, particularly due to the ongoing issues with the water shortage and drought.
“We’re selling out to development at the expense of our resources,” Crownover said. “[People are] scared about the water supply. You don’t have to be an engineer to look around and see we’re in a dire situation from the water standpoint ... [when citizens] can’t water [their] lawn and then a new subdivision starts leveling out a hill.”
Looking ahead
TWC provides water and wastewater services to various Hill County counties that have been facing ongoing drought conditions, including Blanco County and Hays County.
Williams said TWC is also actively looking into new water sources to support expected growth and increased demand, while working to improve the connections within its water system.
