Guadalupe Basin Coalitionwww.guadalupebasincoalition.org

83rd Session of the Texas Legislature

October 16, 2012

Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, River Annex

Guadalupe Basin CoalitionWho We Are

• Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce

• Comal County

• New Braunfels Utilities

• City of New Braunfels

• Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority

• City of Seguin

• Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce

• Victoria Chamber of Commerce

• City of Victoria

• County of Victoria

• City of San Marcos

• San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce

• Protect Lake Dunlap Association

• Friends of Lake McQueeney

• Citizens United for Lake Placid

• Upper Guadalupe River Authority

• Canyon Regional Water Authority

• Guadalupe County• Water Oriented Recreation

District (WORD) of Comal County

Guadalupe Basin CoalitionWhat We Stand For

GBC is a voluntary association of businesses, chambers of commerce, lake associations and governmental entities in counties along the Guadalupe River Basin (including all of its tributaries and springs) that are bonded by a common concern for the economic and environmental sustainability of the Guadalupe River Basin and San Antonio Bay.

Guadalupe Basin CoalitionOur Mission

Protect and enhance the quality and quantity of the waters of the Guadalupe River Basin from the headwaters to San Antonio Bay.

A History of the Edwards Aquifer Dispute

Major Aquifers of Texas

Major River Basins in Texas

Many Texas river basins are located entirely

within state boundaries

All of the Largest Springs in TexasOriginate from the Edwards Aquifer…

Most Have Endangered Species

San FelipeDel Rio

Las Moras SpringsBrackettville

San MarcosSan Marcos

ComalNew Braunfels

Guadalupe River Basin Threatened and Endangered Species

Subterranean Spring Species

Spring Openings/ River Species

Coastal Species

-Texas blind salamander

-Peck’s Cave amphipod

-fountain darter-Texas wild-rice-San Marcos gambusia*-San Marcos salamander-Comal Springs riffle beetle -Comal Springs dryopidbeetle

-whooping crane

GuadalupeRiver

The Guadalupe River is the Primary Source of Freshwater Inflows to San Antonio Bay…

Brown Shrimp

Blue Crab

WhoopingCrane

The Regional Aquifers are Connected to the Region’s Rivers

Comal Springs – New BraunfelsMost prolific spring system West of

Mississippi River Average discharge 300 cfs, equals

217,200 acft/yr Home of the endangered fountain

darter and other listed species

Good Times

Bad Times1956

Why are the Springs Important to the Guadalupe Basin?

• Springflows form Comal & San Marcos Rivers - major tributaries to Guadalupe River

• Springs are critical for instream flows and freshwater inflows to San Antonio Bay

• Springs are critical to water supply for Guadalupe River communities & also for agricultural & industrial water needs

• Endangered Species Act protects species & habitats at Comal & San Marcos Springs

The Springs ProvideMost of the Flow in the

Guadalupe RiverDuring Droughts, such as the

Summer of 2006

Springs provide river flow during droughts! Flow at Victoria

only 14% of normal!

History of the Edwards Aquifer Issue

YEAR EVENT1956 Drought of Record: Comal Springs

Ceases to Flow for 5 Months

1961 First State Water Plan Recommends Unspecified Limit on Edwards Aquifer

1967 First Edwards Species Added to List of Endangered Species

1968 Texas Water Plan Recommends 400,000 acft/yr Limit on Pumping

History of the Edwards Aquifer Issue

YEAR EVENT

1973 Endangered Species Act Becomes Law

1976 San Antonio City Council Rejects 30,000–50,000 acft/yr from Canyon

Reservoir1991

& 1994

San Antonio Citizens Vote to Reject Applewhite Reservoir (Almost

Complete)1993 Judge Bunton Rules in Favor of

Aquifer Regulation in Endangered Species Act Litigation

YEAR EVENT

1993 Edwards Aquifer Authority created by Texas Senate Bill 1477

2007 Legislature increases Aquifer pumping from 400,000 to 572,000 acft/yr & creates EARIP through Senate Bill 3

2007-2011

Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Plan (EARIP) works

to create habitat conservation plan to protect species & regional water use

2011-2012

EARIP approves HCP, EAA approves HCP. Hopefully, USFWS approves HCP.

History of the Edwards Aquifer Issue

Signing Ceremony, 1993The Edwards Aquifer Authority Act

(Senate Bill 1477)

In 1993 the Texas Legislature replaces the Edwards Under-Ground Water District with theEdwards Aquifer Authority

The Act required EAA to:•Issue permits & regulate pumping•Permits based on historical use•Permit cap @ 450,000 acft/yr•2008 cap is 400,000 acft/yr•Requires continuous minimum springflows to preserve endangered species habitats by 2012•Adopt pumping drought rules The “Catfish Farm”

World’s Largest Artesian Well

Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program

The EARIP Approach

Recovery Implementation Programs (RIPs) bring together a broad group of stakeholders including Federal, State, and private interests to work together to improve water management and recover endangered species.

The EARIP GoalTo recover federally listed species dependent on the Edwards Aquifer while water development proceeds in compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws.

The EARIP Process• Identify participants • Establish a voluntary program to address

water issues• Develop program goals and objectives• Consolidate information and identify gaps• Develop a long-term plan that balances water

use and species recovery• Develop a cooperative agreement for plan

implementation– signed by the Secretary of Interior– Congressional authorization of funds

EARIP Activities

• Habitat restoration• Captive propagation and

augmentation• Research & monitoring• Development of flow

recommendations• Management of non-native species• Education, and public involvement

Participants• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality• Texas Water Development Board (Region L)• South Central Texas Water Advisory Board• Edwards Aquifer Authority• San Antonio Water System• Guadalupe Basin Coalition• Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service• Nueces River Authority• Congressional/Legislative Representatives• Environmental and other interest groups

Result of the EARIP

The Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan

Flow Protection Measures

Critical Period Management (CPM) Stage V with 44% Reductions

SAWS Aquifer Storage & Recovery (ASR) Trade Off

Municipal Regional Conservation Program

Voluntary Irrigation Suspension Program Option

Habitat Minimization, and Mitigation

Measures

Measures to Reduce the Impacts of Drought and Enhance the Viability of the Listed Species at San

Marcos SpringsMeasures to Reduce the Impacts of Drought and

Enhance the Viability of the Listed Species at Comal Springs

Environmental Restoration and Protection Area at Comal Springs

Gill Parasite ControlWild Rice Restoration and Maintenance at San

Marcos SpringsState & Federal Fish Hatchery Refugia

MonitoringProtecting Water Quality

The Phase I Package for the HCP

$0

$4,759,000$2,194,000$1,620,679

$4,172,000

Comal Springs $1,272,857San Marcos Springs $1,295,143

$835,714

$1,678,597

$750,000

$18,577,990Average Annualized Cost

Habitat Protection Measures

Modeling and ResearchRefugia

Annualized Implementation Costs - (Years 1-7)

Project Management

Share of SAWS O&M Based on UseFlow Related

Measures

CPM Stage V

Use of SAWS ASR Obtaining Water Leases

Regional Water Conservation ProgramVoluntary Irrigation Suspension Program Option

Guadalupe Basin Coalition

Agenda for the83rd Session of the Texas

Legislature

Priority Issues for the GBC

• Edwards Aquifer Authority• Environmental Flows• Groundwater Policy• Desalination• Regional Water Planning Process

Funding• State Water Plan Financing

Edwards Aquifer Authority

• SAWS– Monitor water legislative agenda

• Voting Rights Act Litigation– Oppose changes to EAA Board of Directors

• Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program– Oppose changes to the EAHCP

• Uvalde Pipeline– Maintain pipeline prohibition

Environmental Flows

• SB 3– Maintain TCEQ rules for the Guadalupe

River– Reexamine BBASC appointments– Finance SB 3 Work Plan for the Guadalupe

• SB 2– Finance Guadalupe instream flow studies– Finance freshwater mussel research

• The Aransas Project Legislative Agenda– Monitor

For More Information

• Follow the GBC on Twitter @GuadCoalition

• Learn more about GBC on Internetwww.guadalupebasincoalition.org

• Learn about the Edwards Aquifer atwww.edwardsaquifer.net;www.edwardsaquifer.org

• Learn about Edwards Aquifer RIP athttp://www.eahcp.org/

Questions?