DEPARTMENT: Transportation & Capital Improvements
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Razi Hosseini, P.E., R.P.L.S.
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
A briefing and overview on the City's new Municipal Setting Designation (MSD) Program.
SUMMARY:
This item presents an overview of the City's Municipal Setting Designation (MSD) Program for briefing without action required.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In 2003, the Texas legislature authorized the creation of Municipal Setting Designations (MSDs), which designate an area in which the use of shallow contaminated groundwater is prohibited from use as potable water for human consumption. MSDs address groundwater contamination under existing redevelopment properties and encourage redevelopment of properties in blighted areas while protecting human health, the environment, and San Antonio's drinking water. The statute requires the support of the local municipality to participate in the MSD program.
In April 2016, City Council approved the MSD policy and guidelines for this program. As a result of this ordinance, TCI Environmental Management, with coordination and support from San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS) and the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA), developed an environmental process and application for supporting or not supporting an MSD application to the state. Several factors or requirements were considered and implemented as part of the MSD process:
? Sites that may apply for an MSD have known groundwater contamination.
? The process requires that an applicant must participate in one of the cleanup programs administered by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
? The MSD certificate only eliminates the risk for consuming, cooking, or bathing in affected groundwater. Assessment would still be required for other exposure pathways.
? Establishing an MSD does not remove any liability from the property owner, nor does it shift any liability to the City.
MSDs will ...
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