New Questions Face San Antonio Water Pipeline

[TexasTowelie]

A map of the proposed pipeline that will deliver 16 billion gallons of water annually from underneath Burleson County to San Antonio, about 140 miles away.

Nearly a year after the San Antonio City Council unanimously approved what could be the most expensive water project in the region's history, some council members appear to be having doubts.

Dubbed the Vista Ridge Project, the $3 billion-plus venture would pipe in 16 billion gallons of groundwater annually from Burleson County in Central Texas, about 142 miles away. The San Antonio Water System and many of the city's business leaders say the project is crucial to a secure future, but environmental advocates and other critics hotly dispute that notion, saying the city doesn't really need the water and that the project is far too costly and financially risky.

This month, new concerns arose. The Spanish company slated to build the pipeline, Abengoa, appears to have an increasingly troubled financial outlook, and research by a respected hydrologist suggests that pumping such a huge amount of water from underneath Burleson County could seriously impact other water users and the overall condition of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer.

"Is my confidence waning? Yes," Councilman Ron Nirenberg said in an interview.

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/10/14/san-antonio-water-pipeline-raises-new-questions/