Title
Consider EAA staff recommendation to approve forbearance agreements with Wilde Family Farms, Ltd. for Edwards groundwater withdrawal rights for the Voluntary Irrigation Suspension Program Option in support of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan, in the total amount of not less than $197,673.70, and not to exceed $783,373.54.
Body
STAFF RECOMMENDED MOTION:
Move the Permits/Enforcement Committee recommend the board adopt a resolution and order of the Edwards Aquifer Authority Board of Directors to approve VISPO forbearance agreements for permitted Edwards groundwater rights between the EAA and Wilde Family Farms, Ltd., in the total amount of not less than $197,673.70, and not to exceed $783,373.54, for the Voluntary Irrigation Suspension Program Option in support of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan, and authorizing the General Manager to execute the Agreements.
SUMMARY:
The purpose of this agenda item is for the Permits/Enforcement Committee to consider an EAA staff recommendation to approve forbearance agreements (Agreements) for permitted Edwards groundwater rights for the Voluntary Irrigation Suspension Program Option (VISPO) in support of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP). The EAHCP includes several measures intended to minimize and mitigate the impact of the use of Edwards groundwater on federally-listed threatened and endangered species associated with the Edwards Aquifer. A significant component of the EAHCP is the use of VISPO as a long-term conservation measure to reduce pumping from the Edwards Aquifer during severe droughts and to help maintain minimum springflows at Comal and San Marcos springs. The VISPO is a voluntary program through which the EAA is attempting to enroll and annually maintain 41,795 acre-feet of permitted irrigation rights into “forbearance agreements” so that the rights will go un-pumped in years of severe drought, thereby reducing demand on the aquifer at the most critical ...
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