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Thursday, July 9, 2009

Groundwater district tells Aqua Texas 'NO EXTRA PUMPING,' and orders a water waste reduction plan


Members of the board, from left, Greg Nesbitt (District 2), Jack Hollon (District 5-Wimberley), Doug Wierman-president (District 1), David Baker-vice president (District 4-Wimberley), and Andrew Backus (District 3)

Groundwater is not free to waste! To consider using our precious drinkable groundwater to fill subdivision ponds and water golf courses in the midst of an exceptionable drought is unconscionable

Editor's Note:
Much was said, discussed and learned at today's public hearing. We'll be reporting more on the district's efforts to document the effects of the drought, the district's dwindling operating budget and its request to the Hays County Commissioners court for some financial support.

For more background on this report, scroll down to the story titled "Aqua Texas to ask groundwater district for permission to pump 24.5 million gallons more."

Send your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net
or to manager@haysgroundwater.com Visit the groundwater district's web site here.

By Bob Ochoa
RoundUp Editor

City Hall Council Chambers, Wimberley
– The five member board of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District voted unanimously today to deny Aqua Texas' request to pump an additional 24.5 million gallons of groundwater for its Woodcreek Phases I & II service areas. The action will effectively hold Aqua at its current permitted pumping limits.

The board also ordered the for-profit water company to come up with a plan in 60 days to start reducing massive amounts of ongoing groundwater losses in its system.

"We want a plan in 60 days, and tell us what you're going to do (to reduce the waste)," board president Doug Wierman told Aqua area manager Brent Reeh, who was seated in the audience.
Aqua's Mr. Reeh just did not
want his picture taken.

A motion by board member Andrew Backus, seconded by David Baker, to reduce Aqua's pumping permits by 10% and 20%, for Woodcreek Phase I and Phase II, respectively, failed to gain traction with the other board members.

Backus argued that reducing Aqua's currently permitted pumping would "get the attention of the management to reduce the leakage."

By some estimates, Aqua is experiencing up to a 48% loss rate in parts of its Woodcreek system. The Pennsylvania-based parent company, Aqua America, Inc., is publicly traded on the stock exchange. Aqua Texas has nearly 200,000 customers in four major Texas cities.

The groundwater district's public hearing over Aqua's permit was called to order a little after 9 a.m., and concluded around noon. The hearing was heavily attended, with standing room only at one point. Many outspoken citizens came forward to comment for the record – all strongly opposed to allowing Aqua to pump more groundwater
in a time of extreme and prolonged drought.

One citizen, Bill Peoples, warned the board and audience, "the issues here are over money. Put the people ahead of the officers of Aqua Texas and Wimberley Springs Partners."

Louis Parks of the Red Hawk Road property owners association told the board that Aqua's request was "obscene, unethical, and it's wrong."

Aqua had withdrawn its request a short time before the public hearing occurred. Mr. Reeh reiterated Aqua's withdrawal at the hearing, but the hearing went on as scheduled, along with some fiery hot comments from citizens. Wimberley Springs Partners had also pulled back its application for additional groundwater for golf course irrigation.

Aside from responding to questions from the board, Aqua (Mr. Reeh) made no public statements or comments for the record during the public hearing. Aqua official Glen Lewis was present, as were Winton Porterfield and a Mr. Johnson, an attorney dressed in a dapper suit with a bright green tie, representing Wimberley Springs Partners. Elected officials in attendance included Mayor Tom Haley, Wimberley Councilman Steve Thurber and Woodcreek Mayor Eric Eskelund.
Also present were two officials from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), senior geologist Michael Chadwick, and Brian Dickey from the water supply division. Notably not in attendance were Precinct 3 County Commissioner Will Conley of Wimberley and State Representative Patrick Rose.

Janelle Delaney, with the Woodcreek property owners association, handed over to the board a stack of reports which she said document Aqua system leaks from June '08 to July of this year. The documentation has been shared with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Aqua, Ms. Delaney said, are "chronic wasters of water, the single largest waster in the Trinity and Edwards Aquifers."

Sue
, a resident of Woodcreek North II, informed the audience of a $9 million state loan application by Aqua (apparently for system upgrades, as yet unconfirmed by the RoundUp). Sue said a recent Aqua system leak had lost more than 400,000 gallons of groundwater. "These entities must be brought to heel," she said.

Karen Jackson, speaking for the Village property owners association, said, "We ask you to say no to these rapists of our environment."

New Woodcreek Mayor Eric Eskelund invited folks to take a drive through Woodcreek Phase I to see all the parched and brown lawns – evidence, the mayor said, that residents are doing their part to conserve water.

Mr. Eskelund reminded folks that Aqua's pumping directly affects the flow of the revered and iconic and once-mighty natural artesian well, Jacob's Well. "With increased pumping and the prolonged drought, Jacob's Well has completely stopped flowing. When it stops flowing we know we're in trouble."

Curt Busk, with the River Meadows subdivision property owners association, reported two wells going dry in his subdivision. "We don't believe we should pay the price for new people coming in and connecting to commercial water suppliers," Mr. Busk said.

Ed Pope, of the Burnett Ranch property owners association, described the nightmare he is living borrowing water from a neighbor through a 200-foot hose. His well collapsed recently and was forced to drill a new well. "We've had to lower the pump twice and I am still not getting good water." Neighbors' wells, he said, are starting to draw sediment. "I would love to have your wasted water," he told Aqua representatives, and raised a small flyer stating "Waste Not Want Not."

Here's part of a written statement read by Jim McMeans, local organizer of the Citizens Alliance for Responsible Development: "Aqua Texas and Wimberley Springs Partners appear to be working as partners in promoting dense development, unjustifiable use of groundwater, and destruction of aquifer recharge areas. First was the construction of the Wimberley Springs Phase I subdivision with its storm water pond that was filled with over 3,000,000 gallons of groundwater during our current critical drought. The water was supplied by Aqua Texas.

". . . there is a proposal by Wimberley Springs Partners to build another 18-hole golf course. They plan to ask for 45,000,000 gallons of additional groundwater to irrigate the golf course. A perfectly good 18-hole golf course already exists which is irrigated with primarily treated sewage plant effluent.

"The only likely justification for these developers desire to build a second course is to have a site upon which to dispose more treated sewage effluent from the expansion of the Aqua Texas Sewer Plant. The expanded sewer plant would then serve the future subdivision envisioned by Wimberley Springs Partners, who have purchased many of the vacant lots in the undeveloped portions of the original Woodcreek North subdivision."

And David Glenn, a member of the Wimberley planning & zoning commission, read this statement into the record: "We live on the edge of the desert. Many geographers say that 30 degrees north latitude and 98 degrees west longitude is the beginning of the deserts of the Southwestern United States. This location falls in Hays County, near Wimberley, adjacent to the Blanco River in River Mountain Ranch subdivision. Water in this environment becomes a precious commodity and a critical resource. Water is life!

"Groundwater is not free to waste! To consider using our precious drinkable groundwater to fill subdivision ponds and water golf courses in the midst of an exceptionable drought is unconscionable! Over 6,500 private water wells in (western) Hays County depend on the Trinity Aquifer for drinking water. Aqua Texas has treated effluent that it must recycle and reuse, available to irrigate golf courses and fill vanity ponds. Water For People, Not For Profit!"


Wimberley Water Supply Corporation field superintendent Garrett Allen reported that extensive leak repairs and other conservation measures have helped reduce Wimberley Water's groundwater pumping – 4 million gallons less this month than last month. He also asked that the local media, including the RoundUp, not "lump us with Aqua Texas."

Mr. Allen corrected the RoundUp in noting that Wimberley Water does indeed regularly share its pumping and well level information with the groundwater district's staff.

Thanks for pointing that out, Garrett. Wimberley Water is a local member-owned water utility theoretically more responsive to its local customers, while Aqua is a for-profit conglomerate theoretically more responsive to its investors and shareholders.

Maybe the community will consider sponsoring a race to see which of the two utilities could achieve the least amount of waste of our groundwater in the fastest time. And maybe then we'll see who is more responsive to the needs of our aquifer.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was good hearing and I believe they (HTGCD) got the message and acted decisively. No more coddling ATI and listening to their excuses. When faced wit the 60 day time line for action on their leaky system, the ATI rep said it could take more time, the board President, Doug Wierman said, “You have sixty days to present a plan .”and then smiled that evil little smile he has. The comments from the public were all against ATI getting any more pumping permits. The consensus was, ATI has had years to do something about their leaks and now they want more time, not a chance! No more pumping until the leaks come within industry standards, 10%.

Jon Thompson said...

Sometimes you just have to take a stand. Right or wrong. No denying it is dry; and likely to remain so for sometime to come, especially headed into summer.

If they can't manage well the water that they ARE permitted to pump; why give them more to waste? Clean up the problem of wastage, and then re-visit a request. Can they prove that they are good stewards of what they have been given? If not, why entrust them with more?

Those who have been trusted with little and have been proven faithful should be or can be entrusted with more; those who have been entrusted with little, and are irresponsible or wasteful should not be given more or considered for more until they have proven that they can be good stewards of a very precious resource, no matter how scarce or abundant, waste is waste, though more so when it is scarce and the process by which it replenished is on hiatus.

Anonymous said...

The HTGCD has done right!! Now they need to keep the pressure on AquaTexas to make sure that plan IS presented within 60 days!!
The neighborhoods were heard LOUD and CLEAR. Wimberley Springs Community was named in the permit request but its General Manager was noticeably VERY quiet and apparently let AT take the brunt of negative commentary. When will that entity promote another "request" for another increase in its pumping? Gotta keep an eye on 'em all!

But, thank you HTGCD for taking the stand you have taken and for all the hard work you do and have done to get us to this point. Hoorah!!

Anonymous said...

Kudos to the HTGCD Board and to the crowd who showed up to testify about the adverse effect these water pirates have on our community. Aqua Texas must go!

David Baker said...

I want to thank everyone who attended the HTGCD permit hearing for their thoughtful and urgent call to action regarding the need to cut back the pumping of the aquifer. Wasting water as Aqua Texas has done for many years is clearly a violation of the HTGCD's State mandate to prevent waste of our limited groundwater.

The board is clearly listening to the citizens desire to reduce aquifer pumping and followed through with a motion to require Aqua Texas to present a plan to fix their leaky system within sixty days or face penalties.

The Texas Water Development Board has approved 3700 acre feet for pumping in the HTGCD 2005 management plan. The district has estimated we are currently over pumping the communities water budget by 1770 acre feet. Cutting waste is the first step to balancing the water budget. Our economic and environmental future will depend on all of us being involved in reducing our dependency and wasteful use of our limited groundwater resources.

Please ask your neighbors to get involved and to stay informed about the current drought conditions and what everyone can do to help protect our drinking water supply, which is also the same source that feeds our springs, creeks and rivers.

http://www.haysgroundwater.com/drought-management

Praying for Rain,
David Baker

Anonymous said...

High five and alleluiah David Baker.

Anonymous said...

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...noticed Brent Reeh's picture here on The Roundup.
Has any one out there picked up on his relationship to Patty Reeh who is the director for TCEQ's Region 11 while he is the director of Region 11 for Aqua Texas...Mr and Mrs. Brent Reeh...could there be any conflict of interest with that relationship??

Anonymous said...

Re: The Reeh marriage. It figures. It explains a great deal as to why TCEQ Region 11, directed by Brent Reeh's wife, Patty, looks the other way while Aqua Texas continuously gets away with so many violations and are granted rate increases and excess fees time and time again. Are you paying attention Attorney General Abbott?

Anonymous said...

Whoa! Is that fiction or serious behind the scenes intrigue, the Reeh connection?

Anonymous said...

For a moment there, I war shocked by the Reeh connection, then I realized where I am. This is Texas where we don’t just allow the fox to watch the hen house, we let the fox move in with the farmer and sleep there. The TCEQ has got to be the most corrupt beaurocracy in the state. I moved here a year ago and now realize what a politically effed up state this is. I was a Republican in my former State and now . . .

Anonymous said...

Hey, anonymous 8, please restrict your derisive statements about Texas solely to its "effed up" elected politicians.