A burning pile of mulch V

Things have slowed down in the fight to extinguish the Helotes mulch fire (which was supposed to be out by now), and officials are rethinking their approach.

From WOAI-TV:

Monday emergency crews met at Helotes City Hall to talk about a new plan to get the massive fire out. Tuesday was the deadline to get that fire put out, but late last week two water wells in the area showed contamination. ...

There are a lot of options being talked about, including installing drains in the fire pit or putting a clay like material down to help protect the well water, with the biggest concern being the Edwards Aquifer [San Antonio's primary source of water].

"Perhaps change the kind of construction equipment we're using... [sic] perhaps changing the way our operators are working. The idea is to use less water and make sure the aquifer is protected", said [the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality]'s Terry Clawson.

That thing may actually end up burning for a year, as was initially speculated. I bet, by then, Helotes residents are really tired of smelling like barbeque.