The East Medina Special Utility District (EMSUD) celebrated 50 years of incorporation at a reception held at the District office last Wednesday, May 24.
Timothy Hildenbrand, President of EMSUD’s Board of Directors, was full of praise for the District, which covers more than 250 square miles of southeastern Medina County and has nearly 3,000 connections that provide water for over 9,000 people.
The District draws water from the Edwards Aquifer, and has the rights to more than double the water needed to supply the current customer base.
“Water is scarce in Texas and highly moderated,” Hildenbrand said. “We serve 25% of the population of Medina County on a daily basis without violation.”
Hildenbrand said that EMSUD has been judicious with debt while continuing to improve service.
“Fifteen years ago, we didn’t have any elevated water storage,” he said. “Now we have multiple water towers and provide more reliable, constant water pressure for our customers.”
Hildenbrand pointed out that when full, Plant 5, located in the northwest part of the District, can supply water to the entire District through a gravity feed.
The District also has emergency generators and fuel tanks, and encases electronics in Faraday cages in case of a power outage.
“Whether it’s a lightning strike or something else, we are still capable of servicing water to the District,” Hildenbrand said. “Water is life.”
Hildenbrand also commended the District’s staff, whom he said, “are professional, work hard, and treat our customers with respect and dignity.”
According to EMSUD’s website, “The first planning meeting was held on September 22, 1966 when a group of citizens met to discuss and determine the feasibility and practicality of organizing a rural water system for the area. Many more meetings followed and on May 24, 1967 a Certificate of Incorporation was signed by the Texas Secretary of State creating the East Medina County Water Supply Corporation.”
The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Committee approved a petition to change the Corporation’s name to the East Medina County Special Utility District on March 29, 1996.
By Marly Davis
Staff Writer