Water Board approves $2.5 million for GBRA groundwater supply study

Joe Cooper, General Mgr LPGCD/TWDB Video

Note: GBRA, probably the largest water supplier in Hays County, yesterday inched a step closer to supplementing its supply from groundwater resources in Lee and Bastrop counties (the Simsboro project). GBRA proposes taking 56,000 acre-feet (18.2 billion gallons) annually. Joe Cooper, general manager of the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District, cautioned Texas Water Development Board members that his district can not afford to export groundwater. "We're concerned our local groundwater supplies may not be sufficient to meet our own local needs . . . all pending (pumping) requests can't be met by our district . . . if only half the water being requested is pumped it will lower our aquifer an additional 250 feet; it will far exceed our DFC (Desired Future Conditions) and our neighbors' DFCs."

Allen Penn of Bastrop introduced himself at yesterday's Water Development Board meeting as an independent voter, "favoring the Republican agenda, until recently." Penn told the board a substantial overdraft of the Simsboro Aquifer would leave it vulnerable to infiltration "by any surface or subsurface contaminant, foul water, gas, sewage, liquid bacteria waste, chemical waste . . . if the water commission fails to prevent these situations which endanger our water supply or, far worse, proceeds with plans for major overdrafting as suggested, the federal EPA is waiting in the wings to overstep any State of Texas agency acting in an incompetent or indecisive manner . . . gentlemen, you can drink contaminated water but you won't live long doing it."

See the video of the board's proceedings at this link (Mr. Cooper and Mr. Penn make their statements beginning at about the 1:03:00 mark in the video):

http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/boardMembers/view_video.asp?vid=/BoardMembers/2010/December/Board_Meeting_12-16-10.mp4&title=Board&date=December%202010

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News Release/TWDB
For immediate release Contact: Leslie Anderson 512-463-7855

AUSTIN – (December 16, 2010) – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved by resolution a loan in the amount of $2.5 million from the Water Infrastructure Fund to the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority (Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Comal, Bastrop, Lee and Kendall Counties) to finance development costs of the Simsboro Water Supply Project.

With these funds, the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority (Authority) will perform a study of the proposed Simsboro Water Supply Project (Project). As part of this feasibility and planning study, the Authority will evaluate the location of the well fields, available groundwater supplies, construction of major raw water transmission lines, storage facilities, booster pumping stations, possible additional groundwater supplies, and expansions and possible enhancements to treatment facilities in San Marcos.

The proposed Simsboro Water Supply Project would directly supplement the water supplies for customers in Hays, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, and Kendall Counties and indirectly supplements supplies for all of the Authority’s customers.

The Authority was created by the Legislature in 1935 charged with the responsibility for the development and protection of the surface water resources of the Guadalupe River and its tributaries. The Authority provides service to Caldwell, Calhoun, Comal, DeWitt, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Refugio, and Victoria counties. The Authority’s service area has an estimated population of 463,946.

The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional planning and preparing the State Water Plan for the development of the state’s water resources. The TWDB administers cost-effective financial programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control, and agricultural water conservation projects.