SAN ANTONIO – A contentious battle over a failing septic system in north Bexar County has pitted homeowners against the San Antonio City Council, raising fundamental questions about municipal responsibility and the protection of the Edwards Aquifer.
The Villas at Timberwood Homeowners Association (HOA) has spent years fighting to connect its 75 homes to the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) after being plagued by a dysfunctional communal septic system. While Bexar County has already pledged $2 million in federal relief for the $2.8 million project, the HOA is now seeking a waiver for $415,575 in SAWS impact fees—roughly $5,541 per home.
That request has met stiff resistance from several San Antonio council members. During a Wednesday meeting, officials questioned why the city should subsidize infrastructure for a neighborhood located three-quarters of a mile outside city limits.
“To me, our council should not be fixing the mistakes of the county,” said Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito. “We have a lot of our own problems, and I’d hate to see SAWS kind of soak up those fees, especially right now, as we’re asking for a rate increase.”
Councilman Edward Mungia echoed those concerns, noting the difficulty of explaining to constituents within the city why they aren’t receiving similar assistance. Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez suggested that while he might consider a waiver, it would be contingent on the neighborhood agreeing to early annexation—a move that would bring the development into the city’s tax base long before its scheduled 2033 date.
The urgency of the project is a matter of debate. Councilwoman Misty Spears, a vocal advocate for the neighborhood, warned that the area is “one really bad thunderstorm away” from a public health crisis that could threaten the Edwards Aquifer. However, SAWS CEO Robert Puente struck a different tone, telling the council that environmental risks are mitigated by heavy rainfall and that state regulators have already addressed previous fines.
HOA President Roy Block disputed Puente’s assessment of those regulatory fines, noting that the association remains on a three-year payment plan for penalties issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Adding weight to the homeowners’ concerns, the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) confirmed that the neighborhood sits near a creek bed that feeds into the recharge zone. Paul Bertetti, EAA’s senior director of aquifer science, warned that waste from the failing system likely contributes to groundwater contaminants, calling it “prudent” to connect the development to the municipal sewer system.
With the city showing reluctance to waive the fees outright, SAWS has proposed an alternative: a five-year payment plan that would cost homeowners approximately $92 per month. As of Thursday, city officials have not set a date for a formal council vote on the waiver, leaving the fate of the project—and the local water supply—in limbo.
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