Hill Country to the west, prairie to the east
Drive west out of New Braunfels and the ground climbs into limestone hills with thin, rocky soil. Drive east toward Seguin and it flattens into deep black clay. The Balcones faults run between the two, and the Comal and Guadalupe rivers meet in town. Few places in Texas change ground so quickly, and the septic system that fits a lot depends on which side of that change it sits.
The Edwards Aquifer recharge zone
Part of Comal County, including parts of the New Braunfels area, lies over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, where water soaks straight down through cracks and caves into the aquifer that feeds Comal Springs. State rules for septic systems there are stricter: new systems need planning materials from a professional engineer or professional sanitarian, lots generally need at least one acre per home, and tanks and drain fields must be set back from recharge features. Comal County鈥檚 permit application asks whether the lot is over the recharge zone. Other parts of the area fall in the contributing or transition zones, which carry their own TCEQ rules for development.
Who permits septic here
The Comal County Engineer鈥檚 Office, Environmental Health, at 195 David Jonas Drive in New Braunfels, issues septic permits for the Comal County side. New Braunfels also reaches into Guadalupe County, where Guadalupe County Environmental Health in Seguin is the office. Ask the county before any repair that changes the system.
New Braunfels questions
Asked around New Braunfels.
Is my New Braunfels property over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone?
Possibly. Parts of the New Braunfels area are, and other parts are in the contributing or transition zone or off the aquifer entirely. TCEQ publishes an Edwards Aquifer map viewer that shows the zone for a given address, and Comal County鈥檚 septic application asks the same question.
Do septic rules change over the recharge zone?
Yes. Under the TCEQ鈥檚 rules for the recharge zone, planning materials for a new system must come from a professional engineer or professional sanitarian, each home generally needs at least an acre, and tanks must sit at least 50 feet and drain fields at least 150 feet from recharge features such as caves and sinkholes. Older platted lots have some exceptions.
Does pumping protect the springs?
Regular pumping keeps solids out of the drain field, and a working drain field is what treats wastewater before it reaches the ground below. On recharge-zone limestone, where water moves fast, keeping the system healthy matters more than most places.
Reviews
What customers wrote.
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