Stop Young Life From Discharging Their Wastewater Into The Sabinal

The former Lonehollow Camp (on RR 187 just down from the RR 337 intersection) has been sold and the new owners are Young Life – a non-profit Christian organization. These new owners have a sterling reputation and can become good neighbors. However, Young Life has applied for a permit to discharge wastewater directly into our pristine, headwater creeks. Any direct discharge of wastewater into our creeks causes grave concern, it will forever alter the purity of the rivers. Even the most highly treated wastewater lowers the quality of the now pristine water, treatment to the highest standards of drinking water will not prevent phosphorous, nitrogen and pharmaceuticals

An even greater concern is that approving this wastewater discharge permit allowing wastewater to flow directly into the streams and rivers sets a dangerous precedent that will destroy the purity and health of the waters.

While we who have made our homes here appreciate the desire to share the splendor and serenity of this beautiful part of the Texas Hill Country, we also fully appreciate that preserving the pristine nature of our creeks comes with great responsibility. We are here, some for generations.  We stay here, we return here because we value the wildlife, the beauty of the land and the purity of the streams. We know it will stay this way only if we are sincere at becoming good stewards.

The Young Life application requests permission to discharge up to 60,000 gallons of treated sewage water daily into streams that flow into the Sabinal River north of Utopia. The original communication from Young Life with a few landowners (those within a one-mile radius of the discharge point) suggested the wastewater would be applied on their land as irrigation. They continue to say this even though the permit they have applied for with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is a wastewater discharge permit seeking a direct discharge into the headwaters of the Sabinal River. They have not applied for a Texas Land Application Permit. this seems to deny all logic!

We only have to think for a moment to realize that a droplet of water entering a headwaters creek may travel hundreds of miles; flowing water has no such narrow limitation. This will affect us all, landowners, families, businesses…

Bandera Canyonlands Alliance is opposed to this permit as it is now requested. If allowed, the permit will forever change the delicate ecosystem of our creeks.