The Texas Hill Country is known for its picturesque waterways, including natural springs, artificial lakes and secluded swimming holes and the residents who work to defend them.
Residents and environmental activists, who worry that the nutrient-rich discharge will affect the ecological balance in the water and potentially lead to algae blooms and other problems, have fought construction of these plants through numerous avenues including at the Texas Capitol.
For years, these activists have pushed lawmakers to block the issuance of new discharge permits in areas deemed sensitive, including the contributing zone of the Edwards Aquifer, but the legislation has languished in committees and failed to make it to the full House or Senate for consideration.
Texas State is home to a well-attended chapter of Young Life, a Colorado-based Christian organization comprising mainly high school and college students. Texas State Young Life members spend a lot of time together, including camping together at LoneHollow Ranch in Vanderpool, Texas, where members enjoyed a Spring Break retreat last month.
LoneHollow Ranch is a beautiful, newly-acquired camping complex situated on over a thousand acres of land by the Sabinal River â a river that Young Life Texas has recently requested a Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for to dump up to 60,000 gallons of treated wastewater per day in it.