NEW BRAUNFELS – After a summer of record crowds and weeks of contentious campaigning, voters overwhelmingly upheld a ban on disposable containers on the city's two waterways.

The container ban ordinance, which goes into effect Jan. 1, was approved by 58 percent of the vote.

Ban supporters hailed the win as vindication of their claim that residents want the river protected from rowdy tourists and their litter.

“This was a landslide that can be disputed by no one,” said Kathleen Krueger, spokeswoman for Support The Ban. “New Braunfels has spoken loud and clear that we want to protect our rivers for the next generation.”

The lead spokesman for the opposition said the real issue was government transparency and vowed to continue the fight.

“I'm not disappointed,” said Mark McGonigal. “I have an opinion and so do other people. I knew one side would prevail. But the legality of this has yet to be determined.”

A lawsuit challenging the ordinance as illegal under state law, filed by a group of local business owners, is pending in state district court.

The law was drafted after a record-setting drought made parts of the popular Guadalupe River unusable for tubers, and throngs descended on the normally sedate Comal River. The result was a record-setting year for crowds, arrests, citations, police overtime and city expenses.

Local interest was intense. City officials said 5,523 early ballots were cast, more than twice the total votes cast in the last city elections. The early vote was 66 percent in favor of the ban.

The heavy turnout continued on election day.

More Information Disposable container ban Total For: 5,166 Against: 3,791 Percent of vote For: 57.7% Against: 42.3% See More Collapse

“The place was packed when we opened up,” said Richard Carse, pastor at Grace Memorial Church, one of the polling sites.

Polls remained busy all day. At 7:01 p.m., 90 residents were still in a line that snaked out the door at St. Paul Lutheran Church, near downtown.

“The line's been long like this since we opened,” said Nora Morales, the election judge there. “It's been a big crowd, but very polite. This is the biggest turnout I've ever seen.”

With the new law, disposable containers holding food and drink will be disallowed on the Comal and on a stretch of the Guadalupe River inside the city's boundaries. Violators, if found guilty, could be fined $500.