From the Stone Oak POA:


Wednesday afternoon (December 16th), Capital Excavation exposed a karst feature, or underground solution cavity, on Blanco Road while excavating for the new travel lanes.

 

As you may know, this area of roadway is in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, and there is an identified endangered karst invertebrate species identified within the project limits.  Environmental protocols for situations like these include:

  •      o cessation of all work in the vicinity of the karst feature
  •      o immediate notification to the TCEQ and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
  •      o protection of the feature with sedimentation controls to keep debris and unregulated stormwater runoff from entering the feature
  •      o excavation of feature to allow scientific investigation for potential endangered karst invertebrate species
  •      o a minimum of three biological surveys, each a minimum of one week apart
  •      o potential consultation with the USFWS
  •      o mapping of the karst feature
  •      o plans for closure of the feature, approved by all agencies
  •      o technical report
  •      o possible mitigation if damages to an endangered species are anticipated

 

Based upon estimates provided to me by our environmental consultant, this process will take a minimum of two to four months, depending on whether or not endangered karst invertebrate species are encountered.  During this time period, the contractor will be unable to prosecute the roadway construction in this area.

 

Please understand the contractor will continue to work in other areas of the project to the extent possible, but there is a real potential of project delays because of this issue.  At the very least, we will be unable to open the roadway to full traffic north of Folonari at the end of February as I had indicated to you in prior correspondence.

 

At any rate, we are aggressively pursuing this matter, and have secured the services of a professional environmental engineering firm to assist the County in addressing all issues.

 

Please disseminate this email to any of your constituent groups that require an update.  Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

 

David R. Wegmann, P.E.

Bexar County Infrastructure Services