WILSON COUNTY, Texas – What started as a KSAT story investigating brown water in two Wilson County neighborhoods has since concluded in the creation of two new state laws.
The investigation began in October 2024 as a call from neighbors in a Wilson County subdivision who said their water was brown and had been flagged for E. coli.
KSAT went to the Arrowhead Subdivision and found dark brown sediment-filled water and rust-colored filters.
This spurred a six-month-long investigation into Central States Water Resources (CSWR)-Texas, the private company that owns the water wells for Arrowhead and Shady Oaks in Floresville, as well as a few other neighborhoods in Texas, that also have brown or overly-chlorinated water.
After KSAT’s stories, CSWR-Texas admitted they removed sand filtration systems on the wells when they bought them in 2021, saying the systems were old and not functioning well.
When the water continued to come out discolored or smelling of strong chlorine, neighbors Carrie Wilcoxson and Michelle Schraner began emailing their complaints to state lawmakers.
State Senator Judith Zaffrini (TX-21), whose district includes Wilson County, answered and filed four bills.
Wilcoxson spent days in Austin testifying on the bills, and finally saw two of them make it to the finish line.
SB 1662 holds companies accountable
The first bill set to become law is Senate Bill 1662, which addresses a situation in which the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is called in to investigate a water company due to a customer complaint.
Before the bill was drafted, if a water company was under investigation, the state could give a non-specific date before asking a company to conduct water tests.
SB 1662 would mandate that TCEQ give a company no more than 24 hours’ notice before it tests the water.
“I made a complaint on September the 17th. That investigator did not come out to test the well until nine days later,” Wilcoxson told KSAT. “In that time, the water company had time to essentially clean up the water.”
Wilcoxson told that story while testifying to the state Senate committee.
“The water had been flushed and had been shocked with chlorine,” Wilcoxson told the committee.
Since that testimony, the bill sailed through both the state Senate and House.
SB 1663 empowers consumers with information
The next bill, Senate Bill 1663, will now require companies and the TCEQ to alert people sooner if their water is contaminated.
SB 1663 is a direct result of the original situation in the Arrowhead subdivision that prompted KSAT’s first story.
“There was E. coli in our water supply distribution system, which had been present for at least four days, and they had not notified us,” Wilcoxson said. “So, this bill will require the water company to provide notification.”
CSWR-Texas’ response to both bills, sand filtration systems
After the bills passed, KSAT reached out to CSWR-Texas for a response.
“We have always welcomed oversight from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and fully support efforts that protect public health and ensure water quality,” CSWR-Texas said in response to SB 1662. “We do not anticipate any major changes to our current operations as a result.”
In response to the passing of SB 1663, the company viewed the new legislation as a “positive step.”
“This new law reinforces the importance of rapid communication, and we view it as a positive step toward strengthening trust and ensuring that all Texans have access to safe, reliable and environmentally responsible drinking water,” CSWR-Texas’ statement read, in part.
CSWR-Texas delivered the news that the Arrowhead and Shady Oaks subdivisions have been waiting for: installing new sand filtration systems.
When asked if it plans to do the same for other similarly affected communities across the state, the company was noncommittal.
“In each community, we continue to actively evaluate the most effective and financially responsible solutions – including treatment enhancements, infrastructure rehabilitation and replacement, and other targeted improvements,“ CSWR-Texas’ statement read, in part.
Work left to do
While these new laws serve as encouragement for those affected, there is still a steep hill to climb.
To the shock of customers across the state, CSWR-Texas just applied to raise customer’s rates for the third time since taking over the wells in 2021.
News of the higher rates sparked outrage in the small, rural communities throughout Texas, who already feel they cannot drink water CSWR-Texas provides.
Some may be priced out of their homes because they might not be able to afford the price of their undrinkable water.
While Wilcoxson and other neighbors have vehemently protested, and the state’s decision has been pushed back, she does not feel confident that customers will come out on top.
The two new laws are small steps forward to ensure clean water is possible for all Texans.
Previous coverage of this investigation:
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