Title
Receive report from EAA staff regarding Edwards Aquifer 2023 Critical Period Management, permitted groundwater authorization, reported use, and possible over-pumping.
Body
STAFF RECOMMENDED MOTION:
None. This item is for discussion purposes only.
SUMMARY:
The purpose of this agenda item is for the board to receive a report from EAA staff regarding 2023 groundwater withdrawal permits, reported usage by permit holders, and a review of 2023 critical period management (CPM), where groundwater withdrawal interruptions were made to applicable permit holders in the San Antonio and Uvalde pools of the Edwards Aquifer.
EAA rules require all non-exempt withdrawals to be metered and authorized for use within a calendar year. At the end of each year, permit holders are required to file annual use reports with the EAA, which must include, at a minimum, a beginning-year and an ending-year meter reading. From these readings, “annual use” is calculated. EAA staff reviews these reports, verifies the annual use calculation, and compares validated annual use to each permit holder’s annual authorized withdrawal amount. Authorized withdrawal amounts were affected by CPM reductions in 2023 in the San Antonio and Uvalde Pools of the Edwards Aquifer.
2023 Critical Period Management:
In 2023, declining water levels as measured at the Bexar County Index Well (J-17) and springflow measurements at Comal springs combined to trigger EAA’s CPM program for a total of 365 days in the San Antonio pool of the Edwards Aquifer. CPM conditions entered Stage 2 for two periods: from April 30 to May 3 (4 days); and from May 15 to June 23 (40 days); entered Stage 3 for four periods: from January 1 to April 29 (119 days); from May 4 to May 14 (11 days); from June 24 to July 20 (27 days); and from November 11 to December 31 (61 days); and entered Stage 4 from July 21 to October 31 (103 days) resulting in an overall reduction of 35.81% to applicable permit holders.
Water levels at the...
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