WEDNESDAY JUNE 24, 2015
VOLUME 105 ISSUE 3 www.UniversityStar.com
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HAYS COUNTY FLOOD
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WATER
Hays County groundwater bill signed into law By Anna Herod ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @annaleemurphy
State Rep. Jason Isaac (RDripping Springs) and state Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) officially announced June 22 the Hays County groundwater protection bill is now a law. The new law expands the boundaries of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) to cover an area of the Trinity Aquifer that was previously not within a groundwater district. Electro Purification’s (EP) well fields are now within the jurisdiction of the BSEACD. The company will have to obtain a pumping permit from the conservation district before it can legally move forward with the project. House Bill 3405 (HB 3405) was introduced after Hays County residents expressed fear and disapproval at EP’s announcement that they would extract five million gallons of water per day from an unregulated area of the Trinity Aquifer. In a press release announcing the bill’s passage into law, Campbell said that in the aftermath of the historic Memorial Day weekend floods, the law represents a “sign of hope” for what citizens can accomplish together in the future. Isaac said he feels the legislation’s success is a triumph for
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The threat of a possible groundwater production project in Wimberley kind of accelerated other people’s interests to find a solution.” —JASON ISAAC, STATE REPRESENTATIVE
all in Hays County, and HB 3405 is a “win-win for multiple parties involved.” “There were some interests that did not want to see our legislation pass,” Isaac said. Isaac and other bill supporters got HB 3405 passed on the 139th day of a 140-day legislative session. “I started working on this about a year ago when I first learned that there was part of an aquifer in Hays County that wasn’t protected,” Isaac said. “The threat of a possible groundwater production project in Wimberley kind of accelerated other people’s interest in trying to find a solution.” Although the company addressed the concerned public at a town hall meeting in Wimberley on Feb. 10, residents remained skeptical about how an extensive pumping project would leave the fate of their groundwater-supported homes. Isaac said EP officials have stated from the beginning that their plans are based on “sound science.” “EP will be able to do what they can do (if they secure a permit), and that’s their right,” Isaac said. “And we affirm those rights for them so long as it doesn’t affect the desired future
See HB3405, Page 2
PRESLIE COX MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Aniceto G. Samaro, CM Allen Homes resident, sits June 13 on his front porch.
Public housing tenants struggle to find homes after historic floods By Jon Wilcox SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @thrilcox
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any public housing residents are struggling for a foothold as flood damage has prompted the San Marcos Housing Authority (SMHA) to evacuate at least 96 homes for repairs and safety concerns. SMHA officials have ordered all residents of the 96 units at the CM Allen Homes public housing facility to vacate. Many former residents say they are facing difficulties in finding and paying for new homes despite government assistance. Aniceto “Cowboy” Samaro, age 85, said he has lived in the CM Allen Homes facility for 33 years. He remembers when the 30-foot tree in his front yard was a tiny sprout. He shares his home with a 15-year-old Chihuahua, Thomas. Weeks after the historic, deadly Memorial Day weekend flood, Samaro sits on his porch, feeding birds and
waving friendly hellos as the last of his neighbors pack up and abandon their damaged homes. The level of damage in the neighborhood was severe. For weeks, Samaro disputed with SMHA officials over whether he should be required to leave his house. Because floodwaters barely touched his property, Samaro sees no reason to leave. The longtime CM Allen Homes resident said moving is even more difficult as his children do not have the space to house him. Albert Sierra, executive director for the SMHA, said he will have to evict Samaro if the man refuses to leave his home. Attorneys have advised if a tenant is sickened by mold in the houses, the SMHA could be held liable in civil court, Sierra said. Sierra said although he does not want to order anyone to leave, if any residents remain in the flood-damaged neighborhood, he will be forced to evict. Mold-infested houses can pose a significant health risk
to anyone living inside—especially those who are elderly or sick, Sierra said. Sierra and the SMHA website have advised CM Allen Homes residents to seek monetary assistance from Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA). Most residents have received initial subsidies between $1,000 and $2,000, Sierra said. Residents can reapply for more FEMA aid after two months.. Dwayne Magnum, displaced CM Allen Homes resident, said although he was grateful for FEMA assistance, finding a new house for his family of six was nevertheless a daunting task. Magnum said he and many other CM Allen Homes families were forced to relocate to local motels, like the Rodeway Inn on the Interstate Highway 35 (IH-35) northbound access road in San Marcos. Magnum sought assistance through the SMHA after a 2013 injury left him disabled and unable to work. SMHA has told the ex-tenant he will
most likely not be able to move back into public housing for at least six months, Magnum said. The Memorial Day weekend flood damage reduced the SMHA’s housing capability by almost 50 percent, Sierra said. “We have 289 units in San Marcos,” Sierra said. “A hundred were in CM Allen Homes.” Magnum said he does not know how he will be able to find a lease for his wife and four children with the amount of FEMA assistance he received in addition to the increased demand for housing in the city. The houses and apartments he and his wife have viewed were either too expensive or too small, he said. Rob Roark, San Marcos resident and community activist, said he is angered with the SMHA’s handling and removal of the CM Allen Homes residents. Roark said SMHA has done a poor job working with CM Allen Homes residents. Residents in public housing are
often more vulnerable to disasters, he said. “These are the poorest of the poor,” Roark said. “If you have to put a deposit down, and you have got kids, you’re trying to work a job, you’ve just been flooded out—put yourself in the shoes of the people.” Roark said he is worried many of the displaced public housing residents—especially families—will not be able to afford rent in the private real estate market. “Three bedrooms in San Marcos—if you can find them for a six-month lease—is going to run you a minimum of $800 to $900,” Roark said. “We are dumping them into the community without any plan to bring them back.” As of June 13, Samaro had changed his mind and decided to vacate his house at CM Allen Homes, he said. Although he was not completely sure of where he would go, Samaro could only say, “God will send me an angel.”
“God will send me an angel.” —ANICETO G. SAMARO, CM ALLEN HOMES RESIDENT
HAYS COUNTY FLOOD
NEWS BRIEF
Local farmers feel impact post Memorial Day weekend disaster By Exsar Arguello SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @Exsar_Misael
The Memorial Day weekend floods are continuing to affect the lives of many people throughout the state—especially the individuals that grow and supply food. Local farmers in the San Marcos area are dealing with damages and loss of production. According to a May 30 University Star article, farmers and ranchers can potentially receive as much as $500,000 in loans through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The aid is intended to cover any production damage and any property losses with the exception of primary residency. Jonas Jones, farm manager for Gray Gardens, said the rain hit them hard after planting twice as many potatoes and tomatoes this season. “Only about half of what we planted made it because there was too much moisture in the ground,” Jones
Police investigations continue regarding San Marcos hospital shooting By Anna Herod ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @annaleemurphy
PRESLIE COX MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Tim Miller, owner of Millberg Farm, stands next to one of several peach trees June 18 at his farm in Kyle. The farm didn’t suffer any damage from the flooding on Memorial Day. said. “We lost profit and it definitely had an effect on us.” To save potatoes and onions from the flood, Jones was desperately picking his produce while it was pouring rain in an effort to save them, he said. Four weeks of planting were lost due to the flooding that did not seem to stop. Jone said that as the rain would come to a halt, it would begin to pour again.
“Our greens are also not growing because of how cloudy it has been,” Jones said. “Just as much as plants need water, they need sun, and without the sun shining things just aren’t growing the same. Everything is surviving, but nothing is thriving.” Gray Gardens was only able to produce 20 bunches of kale since the storm.
See FARMERS, Page 2
Police say there have not been any new developments in the investigation concerning a shooting that left an elderly couple dead at Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC). Joyce Chamness, 85, and Ben Chamness, 87, were found deceased June 9 in a private patient room at CTMC. Joyce was being treated there for a serious illness, police said. The couple’s daughter discovered her parents in the room after the shooting. “We don’t know why the shots weren’t heard elsewhere in the hospital,” said Trey Hatt, communications specialist for the City of San Marcos. Police are investigating the incident as a murder-suicide but have not released any new information. “The San Marcos Police Department doesn’t have any updates or new information to release in the case and we
don’t want to speculate on why the shooting happened,” Hatt said. CTMC spokesperson Brad Russell said the fact the shooting happened in the morning could have something to do with why the shots were not heard anywhere else in the hospital. “The level of noise inside of the building (during a shift-change) is going to be higher because you’re essentially having two shifts on the floor at the same time, going from the night shift to the day shift,” Russell said. “So that could have been a part of that, but beyond that would just be speculation.” Russell said there are no metal detectors in the hospital, but there are signs prohibiting guns on hospital grounds. On-site security is present during hospital hours, he said. “We are constantly assessing the physical security on our campus and this certainly will be something that is taken into consideration,” Russell said.