About 50 people chanted "Save our river!" outside the San Marcos River Ranch Saturday to protest one Texas water law and its effect on one local river.
The state has given San Marcos River Ranch, a private waterskiing community, the green light to fill its lakes with water from the San Marcos River, with some stipulations.
To pump from May through August, the river flow must be at least 130 cubic feet per second. From September through April, however, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has changed that number to 34 cfs.
Protest organizer Mike McClabb said that is an outrage.
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Water
News 8's Russell Wilde tells us why a TCEQ rule change inspired a protest.
 
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"To arbitrarily go from 130 to 34 is unacceptable," he said. "If it's not stopped, these things are going to pop up all the way down to the coast and there's not enough water in the river for this site."
Protestors are worried about what that could mean if the drought continues, or if similar projects are permitted.
"There's not enough water to enjoy, there's not enough water for viable stream flow, and there's not enough to keep the river going," Martindale resident Michael Simmons said.
River levels during the current drought have dropped to nearly 60 cfs, putting a strain on wildlife, all the way to the gulf, that depends on the water.
"If this is considered a model for future development, things are going to get much worse," protestor Jack Fairchild said.
The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, an agency tasked with protecting water resources, said they are opposed to the limits granted by TCEQ.
Protestors said they'll ask legislators to change the way water rights are handled.
