Conservation group calls for new Medina Lake water management

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District (BCRAGD), not SAWS, settled a lawsuit in 2022. This article will be reprinted with the correction. The Bulletin apologizes for the error. 

A longtime Medina County conservation group is calling for the closure of the century-old Bexar-Medina-Atascosa (BMA) Irrigation District dam at Medina Lake, arguing that the district's water management practices have prevented the lake from recovering from years of drought.

The lake was constructed primarily as an irrigation reservoir serving approximately 300 farmers, who purchase irrigation water for about $36 per acre-foot.