Transcript TWCA 2009 Mid-Year Conference

TWCA 2009 Mid-Year
Conference
Groundwater Regulation Panel
Groundwater Regulation Panel
• The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is a
publicly owned utility providing water,
wastewater, and reclaimed water service to
approximately 1.3 million people.
• San Antonio’s historic reliance on the Edwards
Aquifer was curtailed in 1993 with adoption by
the Texas Legislature of the Edwards Aquifer
Act.
• The city must now develop new water supplies
to meet future demand.
Groundwater Regulation Panel
• Water supply initiatives already successfully
pursued by SAWS include:
– Aggressive water conservation
– Nation’s largest recycled water system
– One of the nation’s largest aquifer storage and
recovery (ASR) projects
– Surface water from Canyon Lake
– Trinity Aquifer groundwater from Bexar County
(GMA 9)
– Carrizo Aquifer groundwater from Bexar County
(GMA 13)
Groundwater Regulation Panel
• New water supply initiatives being pursued
by SAWS include:
– Production and transportation of fresh Carrizo
Aquifer groundwater from Gonzales County
(GMA 13)
– Production, transportation and desalination of
brackish Wilcox Aquifer groundwater from
Bexar, Atascosa, and Wilson Counties
(GMA 13)
Groundwater Regulation Panel
• New SAWS water supply initiatives (cont.):
– LCRA project, including groundwater
component for local agricultural use in the
Colorado River Basin (GMA 15)
– Possible development of other groundwater
sources to the west, north, or northeast of San
Antonio (GMAs 7, 9, 10, 12 or ?)
– Seawater desalination
Groundwater Regulation Panel
• Specific GMA/DFC issues being
addressed:
– Drawdown levels by aquifer and sub-aquifer
– Point of measurement (well field v county
average)
– Aquifer and spring flow interaction
– Consistency with regional plans
– Apparent predilection by some GMAs for
adoption of DFCs on a political, rather than
hydrological, basis
Groundwater Regulation Panel
• Priority issues for SAWS:
– Timely adoption by GMAs of reasonable
DFCs that allow predictable and reliable
development of essential new groundwater
projects
– Expansion of Texas Water Development
Board’s appellate role in reviewing the
reasonableness of DFCs adopted by GMAs
Groundwater Regulation Panel
• Impact of MAG determination:
– Determination of managed available groundwater will
be a key factor in the availability of permits from local
groundwater districts for future groundwater
production.
– Groundwater production will in turn be a critical factor
for the future of the State of Texas.
– The importance of water for the state’s future
suggests the need for a larger state role in
management of the state’s groundwater resources.