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Photo by Jessica Nohealapa'ahi
August 7, 2026
Neighbors unite to solve massive water shortage mystery
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
After an estimated 300,000 gallons of water mysteriously disappeared, stumping repair operators and halting water flow for four days to reportedly more than 100 households, neighbors Mark Hall and Mike Ruiz teamed up to discover the missing leak.
“We called the [Bandera River Ranch Water Supply Corporation] and tried to get information on how long it would take to fix the leak and repair a burned up pump,” Hall, a Bandera River Ranch resident, said. “We asked if there was anything we could do to help.”
Hall said he was advised to talk to his neighbors and check houses for water leaks. After securing permission to enter one of the water supply corporation’s (BRRWSC) well sites, he and Ruiz went on the hunt.
“We walked all around, and didn’t see any water anywhere,” Hall said.
They eventually nailed down the potential culprit by following nature’s clues.
“We looked for grass that was green and tall, or wet spots. Lo and behold, we found an area where the ground was wet," Hall said. "We could see where the water was pooled on the ground in the trees, in a very dense area.”
They alerted the water supply corporation, and work immediately began to repair the elusive break in an underground main line.
“It was just dumb luck, but I could say God’s grace pointed us in the right direction,” Hall said, praising those who fixed the pipe. “Those guys are awesome.”
According to BRRWSC Board President Vera Mendoza, the break was due to aging infrastructure, put in place more than 50 years ago. She said plans are underway to purchase a holding tank, which will store more water in case of emergencies.
On day five, water was mostly restored and pipes were regaining pressure, though the River Ranch community remains under a Boil Water Notice until further notice. During the outage, which affected hundreds of people, Hall said he was able to fill six-gallon water jugs at his local church.
“Anybody with a church family should be allowed to get water [at their church],” Hall said.
Other options include filling up in Bandera, where one-gallon water jugs cost 25 cents to refill at The Medina River Company Circle M Ice and Water Station, 1114 Main Street, in front of Chicken Charley’s, or at manual car washes. For more resources, customers may contact the BRRWSC at 830-796-4199, or visit their office at 3540 Hwy. 16S, Suite 1-C, #5, Bandera.
To sign up for emergency alerts, go to brrwatersc.com, and follow the link to to be added to the email and text distribution list. The next BRRWSC board meeting is set for Thursday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m.
“We called the [Bandera River Ranch Water Supply Corporation] and tried to get information on how long it would take to fix the leak and repair a burned up pump,” Hall, a Bandera River Ranch resident, said. “We asked if there was anything we could do to help.”
Hall said he was advised to talk to his neighbors and check houses for water leaks. After securing permission to enter one of the water supply corporation’s (BRRWSC) well sites, he and Ruiz went on the hunt.
“We walked all around, and didn’t see any water anywhere,” Hall said.
They eventually nailed down the potential culprit by following nature’s clues.
“We looked for grass that was green and tall, or wet spots. Lo and behold, we found an area where the ground was wet," Hall said. "We could see where the water was pooled on the ground in the trees, in a very dense area.”
They alerted the water supply corporation, and work immediately began to repair the elusive break in an underground main line.
“It was just dumb luck, but I could say God’s grace pointed us in the right direction,” Hall said, praising those who fixed the pipe. “Those guys are awesome.”
According to BRRWSC Board President Vera Mendoza, the break was due to aging infrastructure, put in place more than 50 years ago. She said plans are underway to purchase a holding tank, which will store more water in case of emergencies.
On day five, water was mostly restored and pipes were regaining pressure, though the River Ranch community remains under a Boil Water Notice until further notice. During the outage, which affected hundreds of people, Hall said he was able to fill six-gallon water jugs at his local church.
“Anybody with a church family should be allowed to get water [at their church],” Hall said.
Other options include filling up in Bandera, where one-gallon water jugs cost 25 cents to refill at The Medina River Company Circle M Ice and Water Station, 1114 Main Street, in front of Chicken Charley’s, or at manual car washes. For more resources, customers may contact the BRRWSC at 830-796-4199, or visit their office at 3540 Hwy. 16S, Suite 1-C, #5, Bandera.
To sign up for emergency alerts, go to brrwatersc.com, and follow the link to to be added to the email and text distribution list. The next BRRWSC board meeting is set for Thursday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m.