The Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District met to address two issues: whether to allow other entities to have party standing in the case against Camp OTX and to send this contested case to a hearings examiner.
Director Rebecca Gibson was not present but had requested to recuse herself. Directors Andrea King and Melissa Checkovage were also absent.
The meeting drew a large standing-room audience, where more than a dozen citizens spoke during the public comment portion. In response, Camp OTX’s operating director emphasized a commitment to being good stewards of the land and cited positive local economic impacts despite what he described as a negative, anti-Christian campaign against the camp.
All but one of the citizen comments spoke against the Camp OTX well permits that were requested.
Ricky Anderson asked about the test wells across the road from the Camp OTX site.
Richard Lane discussed the level of Lake Medina and the factors that caused its dramatic drop. He noted that his static water level dropped 120 feet in his well.
“I think our water situation is becoming pretty tired,” he stated.
Ruth Ann Haynes, who noted that she bought her property in 1996, stated that the camp was not built in an area conducive to creating a recreational camp.
“He built this camp in the wrong place; we cannot sustain his water needs,” she said.
She remarked that the land was suitable for ranching and cattle but not for a youth camp of the size that OTX had created. She recommended that the owners relocate to an area with more available water.
“If you give this man an inch, he’s going to take a mile,” she said.
Scott Tepec noted that he and his wife had purchased land at the junction of Hwy 470 and Kyle Ranch Road.
“There’s no way anybody in this room can predict what’s going to happen 50 years from now,” he said. “We have a gigantic subdivision going in down the road just across from Camp OTX and another one going in at Winan’s Creek. I know very little about them, except that they don’t have community water, so they are going to have to drill wells. I was planning to drill another well; I don’t need it, but if in 15 or 20 years I decide to sell off 15 or 20 acres, that water will be needed. I am just so pleased to see this big group of people.”
Jenny Borlund stated that she bought property in the area so her family would always have a home.
“If they take our water, what is my family and I gonna do? What are you gonna do? Sell it back to us?” she questioned. “It’s our water; I don’t understand any of this. It needs to be put a stop to.”
Scott Sleet remarked that he had grown up in an area of Colorado like Bandera and that his wife’s family had been settlers in Bandera for over 100 years.
“We are just sticking straws in one sippy cup, and it doesn’t matter how much is in there,” he said. “There’s not that much in there (the aquifer). There are only so many resources here. The owner of this camp, Ozark Texas. We are not in the Ozarks; they have much more water than we do. I would really encourage the board to consider denying this application.”
While Gerald MacEarney admitted that he was pro-landowners’ rights, he prepared a packet of information distributed to the Water Board members and the audience.
As a pro-business person, he stated, “The topic of conversation today is about a common pool of water that everyone shares. It is pretty easy to get our hands on surface water. But every stream and river we have is affected by the drought. Unfortunately, groundwater is a little harder to get our heads around. None of us can burrow under the surface and see what our groundwater is like. If the purposes are worthy, the uses that we have on permit are worthy.”
MacEarney added that the soil profiles of Camp OTX do not fit the profiles of useful agricultural land.
Chris Torn, owner and operating director of Camp OTX, addressed the group and said Camp OTX is one of the biggest taxpayer entities in Bandera County.
He also mentioned that he receives positive feedback from local merchants about the amount of money campers and their families spend in town.
Torn stated that there was a negative campaign against the camp before construction even began. He claimed that the campaign attacked their ministry and personal faith.
“Bottom line is we are good stewards of the land and the land we own. Always have been and always will be,” he said. “We are aligned with what the district and state laws are. We are thankful for your time and thankful for a country where we all can come in and express our opinions.”
At the end of the comments, General Manager Dave Mauk moved on to the announced agenda. Several parties were granted standing to be involved in the case: the City of Bandera, Friends of Hondo Canyon, the BCRAGD General Manager, and Camp OTX.
The Board voted unanimously to send the contested case to a hearings examiner.
During the information portion of the meeting, BCRAGD Field Operations Manager Clint Carter gave a presentation on the drought stage, water conservation, rainwater harvesting, and upcoming meetings to the audience.
“IF THEY TAKE OUR WATER, WHAT IS MY
FAMILY AND I GONNA DO? WHAT ARE
YOU GONNA DO? SELL IT BACK TO US?”
- Jenny Borlund
