Del Rio is fighting to keep water within its county lines from being shipped to San Antonio, but if a proposed plan goes through, Del Rio Mayor Roberto Fernandez is threatening legal action.
Citizens in the city are concerned that the plan to use 50,000 acre-feet of groundwater per year from Val Verde County will siphon away vital water that flows into its main water source, the San Felipe Springs.
In response to a request for proposals from the San Antonio Water System, the private Val Verde Water Company plans to use groundwater it has acquired from land owners and sell it to San Antonio.
Fernandez said due to the Texas drought, now is not the right time to export water, and said he believes it would have negative effects on endangered species and the environment.
"We commend SAWS for their efforts (to provide water to the citizens of San Antonio) we just caution them don’t use our water to solve your problems because that will cause a legal issue for all of us," Fernandez said.
John Littlejohn, owner of the Val Verde Water Company, said the water the company will use does not flow directly into the San Felipe Springs.
SAWS is supposed to pick one of three plans in the coming months to supply water to San Antonio beginning in 2018.
