Huge site already cleared for 500 RVs
Van Horn
The Culberson County Groundwater Conservation District board members again tabled discussion of a water allotment settlement for Jose “Pepe” Guevara at Pecan Grove Farms when it met Thursday. The settlement request was unusual, setting the terms for shifting a historical agricultural water allotment to be used instead to accommodate a 500-person RV park to house workers for the border wall. Concerns remain over how the large RV park would be constructed and managed.
In bone-dry Lobo, there are no new water permits available in an effort to protect the fragile state of the Bolson Sands aquifer. Even if there was water available, the district rules do not allow an agricultural water permit to be used for an industrial site. The settlement would have allowed the RV park to move forward and establish steep fines for Pecan Grove Farms for breaking the groundwater allotment rules.
Board members faced a packed meeting room; over 60 people joined remotely. Twenty-seven members of the public from four counties in the region offered their comments, voicing concerns about running out of water and doubts that the man camp would follow state environmental regulations.
Sherry Sanders lives 4 miles from the RV site in Culberson County. She said that her well already runs dry sometimes. “If we have to put down another well, I’m afraid that it will have to go so deep we won’t be able to afford it,” she said in a public comment.
Critics were concerned that a settlement agreement would set precedent for future permit violations.
The large RV site has already been cleared and graded, causing neighbors to complain of huge clouds of dust. One mother said that her children can no longer play outside without their asthma being triggered. Another resident noted that the requested water would require the RV site to be considered a public utility water supply. He questioned the honesty of the engineering firm that is building the site over discrepancies in their statements regarding Texas Commission on Environmental Quality testing.
Elected conservation district board members are tasked with assigning water allotments to landowners, ranchers and businesses to ensure future generations have access to water. The Bolson Aquifer only recharges when it rains, at a rate of 2,107 acre-feet of water per year, according to a 2021 report on Culberson County from the Texas Water Development Board. Amid a decade-long drought, the groundwater conservation board has lowered recent allotments to conserve water.
“Consideration of a proposed settlement should not be interpreted as a determination that the rules do not apply or that the District is waiving its regulatory authority,” District General Manager Haley Davis told the Sentinel in an email. She said that requests would be considered on a case-by-case basis and that the board is evaluating all information presented to it including legal arguments and regulations.
The Pecan Grove Farms property holds a historical allotment set at 1,817 acre-feet, which has not been used in full for the last several years. Owner Pepe Guevara has been outspoken about the health of the aquifer before, and is noted within the community for his conversationist stance towards water.
“For many years, we have consistently increased our investments in water conservation efforts while working closely with the CCGWCD on its monitoring and conservation initiatives. We expect this effective working relationship to continue for decades.” Guevara said in a statement to Big Bend Sentinel. He declined to comment on the district decision to table the settlement discussion, citing his deep respect for the board.
Davis said the RV park would use an additional 25,000 gallons of water per day, or 9 million gallons per year. While it represents only a fraction of a historical allotment, residents are grappling with difficult questions over regulation and land use.
“We need our water. We don’t need them,” said Sanderson, referring to the RV park.
The settlement discussion is tabled just until the next groundwater meeting in June. The board will be exploring what permits the RV site has received from TCEQ, which has the authority to issue permits for treated wastewater but does not have a role in construction planning. There is currently no pending wastewater application associated with an RV park in Lobo, according to a TCEQ spokesperson. Sites larger than one acre will also require a storm water discharge permit.
With the area under increasing pressure from a lack of rain, and more outside companies interested in industrial development, residents requested the groundwater conservation board to explore how to address this type of request in the future.