Residents of rural South Texas community protest water transfer request
- LoriDawn Messuri
- Dec 12, 2025
- 2 min read
BY Lily Celeste Texas
PUBLISHED 9:00 AM CT Dec. 04, 2025
WILSON COUNTY, Texas — A crowd packed the room during the Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District’s Nov. 21 meeting in Pleasanton. Most were Wilson County residents who are pushing for the district’s board to deny a permit that would allow the area’s water to be pumped, then taken to neighboring Guadalupe County.
The permit request from Springs Hill Utility District has drawn harsh criticism from people in Wilson County, located about 40 miles southeast of San Antonio. Residents feel they would be giving away water at a time it needs to be conserved most.
“We can’t live without water. We can’t have businesses. Our property values go down,” said LoriDawn Messuri, a Wilson County resident.
LoriDawn is one of many who has been vocal in their opposition. She believes the water should be saved for the growth that has boomed in the area.
“If we don’t have the capacity to supply water to incoming growth, whether residents or businesses, then we’re stuck,” she said.
The board’s president and water expert Darrell Brownlow says he hears the concern loud and clear. He knows firsthand how the drought has affected rural Texas. Feeding a water level probe using his own well, Brownlow gave Spectrum News a look at the state of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer.
Brownlow marked the water level at 143.56 feet deep. By today’s standards, that number didn’t surprise him, but it still shows how much deeper wells need to go to find water than they have in the past.
“This measurement today represents an 8-foot drop in the last 10 years, which is pretty significant,” he said.
But a deeper search for water in Wilson County doesn’t mean they can’t share with neighbors.
“We have to treat all permits equally. We can’t deny it based simply on the fact it’s taking water out of the district,” Brownlow said.
Texas Water Code allows water to be transferred out of a groundwater conservation district’s area. It also prohibits a district from being stricter on a permit that asks to do so compared to in-district permits.
Brownlow also clarified that if a permit is approved, the district may change rules based on future water supply. As of the supply and data available now, he describes the amount of water the Springs Hill Utility District is requesting as “relatively modest” compared to what the district typically manages.
Brownlow welcomes the concern and participation that the permit request has brought. He says there’s still a long way to go before it’s approved, including a public hearing, which he hopes people will attend.
“I hope the public can trust that this board will make the right decision,” he said.
LoriDawn and her neighbors do plan to stay involved — hoping to save up as much of their water supply as possible for the future.
“We don’t want to end up like other cities that are destitute. It’s important,” she said.
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