PROTECTING THE SOUL OF AUSTIN FOR OVER 30 YEARS

We work to protect the Edwards Aquifer, its springs and contributing streams, and the natural and cultural heritage of the Hill Country region and its watersheds, with special emphasis on Barton Springs.

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Protecting Barton Springs & the Edwards Aquifer

The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most productive and consequential aquifers in America, serving as the primary drinking water source for over 2 million people in Central/South Texas Hill Country, including the City of San Antonio. The Edwards Aquifer also replenishes critical springs (e.g., Barton Springs) that provide habitat for several threatened and endangered species, including the Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea sosorum).

Since 1992, the Save Our Springs Alliance (SOS) has been the only public interest legal group dedicated to the protection of the Edwards Aquifer, its springs and contributing streams throughout the Hill Country. With the rapid growth that the Hill Country continues to experience, along with the increasing threats of drought due to climate change, the Edwards Aquifer remains uniquely susceptible to multiple threats that could diminish its water quality and water quantity.

SOS, through education, advocacy and legal action, works to enhance local, state and federal regulations to protect the Edwards Aquifer from overpumping, overdevelopment and pollutant contamination.

Our Wins

Over the years, SOS, in partnership with various other environmental organizations and local governmental entities, has played a critical role in:

• Prevailing at the Texas Supreme Court in upholding the voter-initiated and voter-approved Save Our Springs Initiative Ordinance, which protects Barton Springs by enhancing water quality standards for developments in the Barton Spring Zone;
• Guaranteeing federal protections for the Barton Springs Salamander by winning two federal lawsuits to require its listing as an endangered species;
• Securing over $260 million in public financing to acquire conservation lands over the Edwards Aquifer, and its recharge and contributing zones;
• Opposing the direct discharge of effluent into Hill Country creeks and tributaries and advancing alternative, on-site treatment options;
• Forcing compliance from numerous developers with local and state water quality protection regulations; and
• Helping defeat state legislation aimed at reducing local authority to adopt and enforce environmental regulations.

What we're working on

Education & Outreach

One of the greatest challenges to Save Our Springs Alliance’s work is communicating effectively to new citizens and the general public on where the Edwards Aquifer is located, why it is important and vulnerable, and why development upstream in the Hill Country pollutes Barton Springs.

We realize that the only way to preserve the Hill Country and Barton Springs is by public outreach and by dramatically increasing our efforts to educate the citizens and local officials about the threats to the Edwards Aquifer and Barton Springs, and how we as a community can protect it for future generations.

Our leading educational effort is through our Barton Springs University (BSU) Program. ​

Barton Springs University

Legal Advocacy 

Save Our Springs Alliance (SOS) attorneys provide a legal voice for the Central/South Texas Hill Country through direct legal action.

SOS focuses most of its actions on the largest threats to water, wildlife and conservation lands, including major highway expansions, regulatory rollbacks, and wastewater discharge permits. Throughout the years, SOS has successfully used litigation to preserve water quality regulations, secure endangered species protections, enhance standards for wastewater disposal, and hold local governments accountable for violations to open meetings and public information laws.

Outside the courtroom, SOS participates in legal research, educational outreach and policy development to assist local governmental entities in adopting and implementing strong environmental rules and standards. Additionally, SOS tracks and reviews development permits, road construction and other development-related activity to ensure that current environmental regulations are being followed.

As a non-profit organization, with limited resources, SOS must prioritize its work to ensure it is fulfilling its underlying mission to protect the Edwards Aquifer. In furtherance of this mission and in accordance with need, SOS occasionally offers low-cost legal service to other non-profit organizations related to environmental protection. If your organization is interested in getting legal assistance from SOS, please fill out the Request for Legal Assistance Form.

Request Legal Assistance