"The biggest challenge we face is deficit pumping. We may not notice it when we have rain, but it's managing the groundwater for those dry periods when we have a year or two years of drought, or God forbid, a drought of record . . ."
Note: The groundwater district's talented geologist, UT grad Wes Schumacher, is no longer working "full time" at the District. He's now working only two days a month tracking the 42 monitoring wells sprinkled around the District's 360 square mile area. Adoption of a final budget for District operations will be addressed some time this month, and efforts are said to be under way to find a replacement for Schumacher. His was a key position, which addressed scientific questions such as groundwater usage, recharge and conditions of the aquifer.
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The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors is scheduled to discuss the District's new five-year groundwater management plan at a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 5, beginning at 6 p.m. at Dripping Springs City Hall, 511 Mercer St.The plan is a long and complicated groundwater management guide (the current expiring plan is 65 pages in length) and must meet certain requirements set out by the Texas Water Development Board. Once it is approved by the HTGCD Board, it will be sent to the TWDB for review.
The District's General Manager, Rick Broun, says a second public hearing is likely to be scheduled Oct. 21 in Wimberley.
"The plan is really designed to be the guiding principles for the District on how we manage the groundwater and sets out goals for achieving the management," said David Baker, who serves as vice president on the groundwater district's five-member Board.
Baker said the current plan calls for 3,700 acre feet of allowable pumping from the aquifer annually, which equals to about 1.2 billion gallons. (One acre foot is equal to 325,851 gallons.) Baker said current estimates show that about 5,600 acre feet are being withdrawn from the Trinity Aquifer by permitted water companies and commercial users in the District, and an estimated 6,000 non-permitted private home wells.
"The biggest challenge we face is deficit pumping," Baker said. "We may not notice it when we have rain, but it's managing the groundwater for those dry periods when we have a year or two years of drought, or God forbid, a drought of record . . . The plan is very specific, we want to prevent degradation of water quality for ground and surface water, preserve historical (groundwater) use (by current and long time residents) and prevent waste of groundwater. We will be encouraging use of rainwater collection. We want to see more people move towards rainwater collection. We really should be buying tanks for people and helping them put them in."
Members of the Citizens Alliance for Responsible Development organization (CARD) are expected to be on hand at Tuesday's public hearing to turn over to the groundwater district's Board a petition with more than 460 names calling for less pumping and drawdown from the aquifer over the long term than what the Board has recommended.
10 comments:
Why didn't RoundUp discuss the last HTGCD meeting?
One reason, the Roundup wasn’t there. I suspect Bob is getting as tired as I am, listening to the same old arguments and Andrew Backus’ endless comments and sour grapes. I didn't get over to the hearing last night due to an illness. I hope someone will report on it.
10/05/2010: CARD rep McMeans handed one example of the Petition statement to the HTGCD board members but apparently used a different one when his flunkies solicited signatures. When McMeans started reading the petition, several HTGCD board members commented that such language wasn't on the copy he handed them. McMeans got a little bent out of shape. At the very least, this raised the issue of what representations were made to people that signed this stuff?
Generally, McMeans wanted to dish it out but he was very sensitive to comments of any kind. Anyone that disagreed with him or didn't support his position was trying to "mine the aquifer".
Board member Dr. Jernigan commented about the techniques some of the solicitors used to obtain signatures. Solicitors stooped to just about anything to get a signature. Dr. Jernigan said she was approached by one claiming that a signature was needed to keep an HTGCD board member from developing a golf course resort.
Jimmy Skipton noted that CARD didn't mention all the people that refused to sign the Petition and McMeans didn't take that too well.
The petition itself was flawed and inflammatory and its supporters seem to be living in a make-believe world. They refer to "rights" they don't actually have as an excuse to take away true rights belonging to other property owners. Must of the petition was unabashed demagoguery. CARD exposed itself as an anti-development group trying to use control of water to achieve their desired ends. They want to be grandfathered-in but want "newcomers" to be subject to a different set of rules for a misperceived personal benefit to CARD members.
Most folks left after this although the board continued on to discuss the "management plan" that has to be filed shortly. There was some dispute about what had to be in it at this juncture.
10/5/2010 HTGCD meeting: One other item:
Dr. Jernigan introduced Erica Fick as a potential "consultant". Fick stated she worked with the Environmental Defense Fund on the west coast (Los Angeles, California) and that she was educated in "Urban and Environmental Policy".
All I've ever seen from "urban planners" is attempts to create higher effective rate tax bases for municipalities via HOA-burdened properties and planned ghettoes like condominiums.
The petition I saw was based on falsehoods and exaggerations that have been circulating around the Wimberley area for the last couple of months and I think represents the worst example of the petition process. I would have expected better from CARD. It frankly lied to the signers so the petition is void and I do hope the Board ignores it for what it is. To their credit, it sounds like the Directors caught on and will do just that. No one is served by circulating outright lye about a subject that is so important. This could have even set back efforts to protect our groundwater. One thing for sure it certainly marginalized CARD as an organization.
By the way, some of the highlights from previous HTGCD meeting included:
The first foot in mouth episode was when Backus opposed Dr. Jernigan accompanying Jimmy Skipton to visit AquaTex facilities. You see, Baker felt this was an affront because only 2 board members could go and AquaTex is in Baker's district. But Baker has already had several one-on-ones with AquaTex. Other board members stated their concerns about David Baker's use of his position on the HTGCD board to facilitate his employer's (WVWA) business interests when it came to AquaTex. To avoid turning the meeting into a public hearing, only 2 board members could go. President Skipton was going to go and Skipton felt that Dr. Jernigan should go. Backus got up and basically claimed that Dr. Jernigan was incompetent and that Baker should go. Backus' comments were rude, untimely, and just plain offensive. Audience members were looking around at each other in disbelief.
On the conflicts issue, Backus made a second trip to the podium and alleged that director Mark Key had a conflict. Backus proceeded to explain the conflict. Andrew's basis was that the property owner allowed candidate Key to put up an election sign but wouldn't allow candidate Backus to put up an election sign on the property owner's property. Backus claimed that there was a conflict. As audience members looked around at each other again, one audience member remarked "maybe they just didn't like you Andrew".
Former director Joe Day made several misleading statements about Chapter 36. A subsequent speaker politely challenged Joe Day's claims and invited Joe Day to cite to provisions of the Water Code in support of the claims made. Joe Day tried turning it into a one-on-one debate with the speaker but the speaker would have none of that.
At one point of the meeting, director Nesbitt provided some computations about water based upon precipitation in the area. Baker disagreed with the mathematical result but could not point out any error in the math or logic. You see, there's math and then there's math.
This board meeting ended up as one of the most entertaining board meetings ever.
Thanks for all the info. Can anyone say more about what the district is doing on the geologist job? If you haven't got a scientist working over there full time, then who's minding the store, a bunch of politicans?
A lot of folks seem to be blowing a lot of smoke. I just want to know if the district people are taking care of my groundwater and our other water resources out here.
Just how many other water districts have geologists on staff? I am sure that the data can be gathered, and the Water Development Board would be happy with interpretation.
Some uninformed anonymous commented on a WVWA story back in September.
"I have been surprised by Jimmy Skipton. He has really made an effort to educate himself on the science of groundwater. He is thoughtful and deliberate. I am glad that he is on the HTGCD.
GOOD JOB JIMMY!"
You are such a fool and more than likely uneducated on groundwater issues yourself. How wasteful and useless that the ALREADY EDUCATED CANDIDATE ON GROUNDWATER ISSUES wasn't elected so that Skipton wouldn't be wasting time on "getting smart" and making deals for the water vampires in Hays County and beyond Hays, who don't care a bit about our welfare. That is not local control.
Jimmy Skipton is as qualified to be on the board as anyone else that was elected. You see, there is no exam because this is an Elected political position. An overwhelming majority elected him from his district. I know Jimmy and I can say he has the required prerequisites, common sense and an open mind. When Andrew Backus was President of the board he showed that he had neither. That is why he is no longer sits on the board and can only nag the proceedings from the audience; his agenda is himself!
If Jimmy has a fault it is that he shows too much patience with his detractors in the audience and on the board. No one can say that he isn’t fair. He lets all sides speak their piece even when they continually interrupt and repeat themselves.
Jimmy Skipton has made no deals with any “Water Vampire”, Mr. Anonymous. Why don’t you step forward with your real name and proof instead of sitting quietly behind your keyboard spilling out such a lie? You are probably one of the zealots that believed and signed the lying CARD petition. You sir, are confused.
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