Texas regulators put the brakes on plan for controversial wastewater permit north of San Antonio

Texas environmental regulators on Wednesday handed a victory to Northwest Bexar County residents fighting a controversial wastewater permit sought by the company behind a proposed 1,100-acre housing development. The three-member Texas Commission on Environmental Quality ruled that the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), an independent state agency, should decide the merits of the permit. SOAH will have up to six months to set a hearing, according to officials with the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA), one of the roughly 80 groups and individuals contesting the permit.