To the County Commissioners, City Councils, State Representatives, State Senators, State Agencies, and All Public Officials Serving Lee, Fayette, and Colorado Counties:

We, the undersigned citizens, landowners, farmers, ranchers, business owners, and residents of Lee County, Fayette County, Colorado County, and the Cummins Creek watershed respectfully request immediate action to ensure that future growth in our region occurs responsibly and sustainably. Our region is one of Texas’ most productive agricultural areas. Its farms, ranches, creeks, rivers, groundwater resources, wildlife habitat, and rural communities are invaluable assets that support local economies, food production, tourism, and the quality of life enjoyed by present and future generations. Rapid industrial and residential development—including large-scale subdivisions, industrial facilities, wastewater treatment plants, and associated infrastructure—has the potential to permanently alter the landscape if not carefully planned. The decisions made today will shape our communities for decades. We support responsible economic development. However, development must be balanced with the protection of agricultural land, water resources, private property rights, and the natural environment. 

Therefore, we respectfully call upon our elected officials to: 

∙Develop a coordinated regional strategy for responsible growth across Lee, Fayette, and Colorado Counties.

∙Protect prime agricultural land and working farms and ranches from unnecessary conversion to incompatible development.

∙Preserve the integrity of the Cummins Creek watershed and its tributaries through sound watershed management and science-based decision making. 

∙Require comprehensive environmental, hydrological, and cumulative impact studies before approving major developments or wastewater treatment facilities. 

∙Protect groundwater and surface water quality by ensuring that treated wastewater discharges do not degrade streams, creeks, aquifers, or downstream properties. 

∙Protect area groundwater aquifers from over pumping, helping to ensure access for future generations.

∙Require developers—not taxpayers—to provide adequate infrastructure, including roads, drainage, flood mitigation, wastewater systems, and emergency services. 

∙Ensure meaningful public notice and opportunities for citizen participation before major development approvals are granted. 

∙Protect wildlife habitat, floodplains, wetlands, native vegetation, and ecologically sensitive lands. 

∙Respect private property rights by preventing adverse impacts to neighboring landowners from drainage changes, flooding, pollution, excessive traffic, noise, or industrial activities. 

∙Encourage conservation easements, agricultural incentives, and land stewardship programs that keep family farms and ranches economically viable. 

∙Require cumulative impact analyses that evaluate the combined effects of multiple developments rather than reviewing each project in isolation. 

∙ Promote transparency and accountability by making all environmental studies, engineering reports, permits, and public records readily available to citizens.

We further request that local and state officials work together to develop long-term regional planning policies that preserve the rural heritage of Central Texas while accommodating carefully planned growth. The Cummins Creek watershed, together with the surrounding agricultural lands of Lee, Fayette, and Colorado Counties, represents a unique natural and economic resource. Once productive farmland is lost or waterways are degraded, these resources cannot easily be restored. This petition is not intended to oppose responsible growth. Rather, it affirms that growth should occur only when it protects our water, preserves our agricultural economy, respects private property rights, and maintains the rural character that makes this region unique. 

We respectfully urge our elected officials, regulatory agencies, and policymakers to adopt policies and make decisions that safeguard these irreplaceable resources for current residents and future generations. 

Together, we ask for responsible development—not unchecked development. We ask for stewardship—not short-term exploitation. We ask that the voices of the people who live and work on this land be heard before irreversible decisions are made. 

By signing below, I support responsible development, protection of agricultural lands, conservation of water resources, and preservation of the rural character of Lee, Fayette, and Colorado Counties. 

(More information available at www.facebook.com/leefayettewaterprotection  OR sites.google.com/tritexascreektx.com/tricountycreek/home OR tricountycreek@gmail.com)