Residents ‘vehemently’ oppose water export
- LoriDawn Messuri
- Nov 25, 2025
- 3 min read
Stockdale resident LoriDawn Messuri asks the Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District to “stand with the community” during the district’s Nov. 21 meeting. The board was scheduled to take action on an out-of-district use and transport of water application, which was postponed due to a “mitigation proposal.” A new date has not been set. RACHEL DRAPER/Wilson County News
Wilson County News
“If we don’t vehemently protect what we can, we will wake up without,” Karen Kibbe told the Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District (UWCD) during its Nov. 21 meeting.
A scheduled public hearing to address the mass transport of underground water in Wilson County to Guadalupe County was postponed, to the temporary relief of many Wilson County residents.
Evergreen UWCD President Darrell Brownlow announced postponing action, due to an “issue related to a mitigation proposal.”
Brownlow advised that any public comments would still be allowed and applied toward any future hearing, along with the 99 public comments and 11 contested case hearing requests which were submitted online.
The Springs Hill Special Utility District permit application proposes construction of “Blumberg Well No. 1” in the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in the Stockdale area, with an annual production request of 325 million gallons — 1,000 acre-feet — annually, at a pumping rate of 1,600 gallons per minute.
The application — which was subject to a hydrogeological study and presented during the meeting — drew a number of residents from across Wilson County. Residents expressed concerns about aquifer depletion, “callous” export of local assets, and rights of private well owners.
Community concerns
“Communities all over South Texas are already living with the consequences of weak groundwater rules,” LoriDawn Messuri said. “I understand Texas law prevents discrimination based on where the water is used, but you can require … meaningful limits on large-scale pumping.”
Messuri was one of the organizers of a town hall meeting in Stockdale about water issues (see “Wilson County residents protest water ‘grab’” Nov. 12, Wilson County News).
Landowner Doug Patton said approving the permit would “fail the mission” of the Evergreen district, which is to ensure sustainable supply of groundwater for future generations.
“While Springs Hill submitted a hydrogeological study, that same study confirms long-term aquifer decline, and clearly admits it cannot predict conditions at local well locations,” Patton said.
Wilson County Pct. 4 Commissioner John “Scott” Akin also spoke to the Evergreen board, reading a resolution approved by commissioners Oct. 27, stating the county’s opposition to the Springs Hill application. Akin also spoke as a resident of Wilson County, concerned that “the numbers seem to be changing as we get more information” and that “a small oversight of something very serious” could mean paying for it in future generations.
Doug Hoelscher, a landowner and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, also expressed concerns about “the unknowns” regarding future water supply. Hoelscher suggested a “conditional permit” to approve the proposal, but if the aquifer drops to a certain level, the Blumberg well should shut down pumping.
Another resident, Tammie Manning, said she was glad the public hearing had been postponed, which gives residents more time for research.
“This is a moment in time that we must realize is so important to our families, our heritage, our future,” Manning said. “People don’t understand the magnitude of all these applications coming in — data centers, solar farms … What’s the impact to our ecology?”
Wilson County Economic Development Corp. President Jason Talley also confirmed the “magnitude” of inquiries from industrial and manufacturing companies, and his first question is always, “What are your water needs?”
Talley asked the board to consider not approving the Springs Hill permit, based on the emergency conditions caused by drought.
Evergreen president
“Permits for exporting water out of the district have been extremely rare, with only a handful occurring over the last decade and for relatively small amounts,” Brownlow told the attendees. “These export permits require a much greater level of assessment and consideration.”
Brownlow concluded the comment period, thanking residents for their comments and assuring attendees that there is still time remaining for contested case hearing requests and written comments, until the public hearing takes place. As of press time Nov. 24, a date had not been set.
Evergreen UWCD
The Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District (UWCD) directs the conservation, preservation, protection, recharging, and prevention of waste of groundwater efforts for Atascosa, Frio, Karnes, and Wilson counties.
The Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer and the Gulf Coast Aquifer System in Karnes County are the major aquifers under the Evergreen UWCD oversight. The district also monitors the Queen City, Sparta, and Yegua Jackson aquifers.
The Evergreen UWCD monitors wells placed throughout Atascosa, Frio, Karnes, and Wilson counties to track the health and availability of groundwater.
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