A Hill Country town halted a proposed 1,100 home development after a wastewater permit was withdrawn. Local organizers continue pushing for state policy changes, citing drought, groundwater limits, and rapid homebuilder expansion across the San Antonio region.
Comfort, a small unincorporated community in Kendall County, Texas, saw a proposed large-scale residential project paused after a national homebuilder withdrew a state wastewater discharge application. The plan would have supported construction of roughly 1,100 homes and required daily treated wastewater releases into waterways connected to the Guadalupe River system.
Residents and local organizers argue that existing water conditions make high-density development difficult to sustain. Kendall County remains under severe drought, with mandatory water restrictions in effect. Comfort depends primarily on groundwater drawn from the Trinity Aquifer, a supply that already faces stress from limited recharge and regional growth.
Although the permit withdrawal removed an immediate obstacle, community groups remain focused on longer-term protections. Advocacy efforts are shifting toward state-level policy discussions involving oversight of wastewater permits and broader evaluation of water availability, infrastructure capacity, and environmental impact in rural areas.
State leadership has identified long-term water planning as a priority, placing additional attention on how regulatory agencies evaluate development proposals. Local organizers say future projects could still emerge, either from the same builder or others seeking to expand in the Hill Country.
Recent permitting data shows continued residential construction activity by large builders across the San Antonio metropolitan area, highlighting ongoing pressure on surrounding rural communities according to the Boerne Reporter.