Title
Receive report from EAA staff on the EAHCP Adaptive Management Process regarding the San Antonio Water System Aquifer Storage and Recovery Springflow Protection Measure.
Body
STAFF RECOMMENDED MOTION:
None. This item is for informational purposes only.
SUMMARY:
The purpose of this agenda item is to provide the board with an update on the EAHCP Adaptive Management Process regarding the San Antonio Water System Aquifer Storage and Recovery Springflow Protection Measure.
The EAHCP currently includes a springflow protection program that utilizes the ASR facility owned and operated by SAWS for storage and delivery of leased Edwards Aquifer water. Broadly, the program is based on the acquisition by the EAA of 50,000 acre-feet per year of Edwards Aquifer groundwater withdrawal rights that are utilized to fill, idle, and maintain a portion of the capacity of the SAWS ASR for subsequent use to protect springflows during identified drought-of-record conditions. When specific triggers (described in the EAHCP) are reached: (1) SAWS is obligated to forbear specific amounts of its Edwards Aquifer Groundwater Withdrawal Permit; (2) water stored in the ASR Facility is available to SAWS to offset its forbearance in order to meet customer demand; and (3) the EAA, when not utilizing leased water to fill the ASR Facility, is obligated to forbear pumping of the entirety of its leased water. This combination of SAWS and EAA permit forbearance contributes significantly to protecting flows at the Comal and San Marcos spring systems.
The EAA is intending to submit a formal proposal for a Nonroutine Adaptive Management action involving a series of modifications to the ASR program from its original design in the EAHCP. The proposal does not involve modification to the main objectives of the program, but rather presents alternatives to the process by which the objectives are achieved. Specifically, in order to optimize the program's success, the EAA proposes to amend the ...
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