Quadvest president cites water board’s denial of Texas Supreme Court rulings as ongoing problem

Simon Sequeira, the owner and president of Quadvest Water Company, a family-owned water provider with primary operations in Montgomery County, recently petitioned Commissioners Court to terminate the employment of two appointees to the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District (LSGCD) board. This petition followed the appointees’ – Richard Tramm and Greg Hope – vote of approval for the taking of private property from members of the public who own land in Montgomery County.

“These two men have flagrantly acted against the decision of the Texas Supreme Court,” said Sequeira. “Several landmark groundwater cases have made their way through the courts challenging the validating of groundwater district rules as it relates to property rights, and there remains an unbroken line of Supreme Court decisions recognizing groundwater as private property.”

According to a recent Texas Supreme Court ruling, “A severed groundwater estate has the same right to use the surface that a severed mineral estate does… Groundwater, like oil and gas, is owned by the landowner in place below the surface… Common law rules governing mineral and groundwater estates are not merely similar; they are drawn from each other or from the same source.”

These court decisions are leading experts like Sequeira to question the validating of LSGCD’s Groundwater District Rules. “Due to these rules, Quadvest customers and I paid approximately $2 million in fees to the San Jacinto River Authority and LSGCD in 2015,” said Sequeira. “In July of 2016 alone, Quadvest and its customers were subjected to approximately $450,000.00. Despite being subjected to these fees, my customers receive nothing for it; not one drop of water.”

Sequeira wrote to Montgomery County Commissioners Court in an effort to effectuate the removal of Hope and Tramm, who were both appointed by the court, and have the court appoint representatives who agree to protect private property rights in Montgomery County. “Our residents deserve to have representatives on the LSGCD board that will defend their property rights and uphold the Texas Constitution,” he said.

Sequeira has also been involved in meetings between the heads of various area water utility companies and entities being affected by the board’s recent decisions. He is available to answer any questions from any interested members of the public who call 281-305-1110.

Quadvest Water and Sewer Utility is located at 26926 FM 2978 in Magnolia. For more information, call 281-356-5347 or visit www.quadvest.com.