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TWCA 2009 Mid-Year Conference

TWCA 2009 Mid-Year Conference. Groundwater Regulation Panel. Groundwater Regulation Panel. The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is a publicly owned utility providing water, wastewater, and reclaimed water service to approximately 1.3 million people.

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TWCA 2009 Mid-Year Conference

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  1. TWCA 2009 Mid-Year Conference Groundwater Regulation Panel

  2. Groundwater Regulation Panel • The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is a publicly owned utility providing water, wastewater, and reclaimed water service to approximately 1.3 million people. • San Antonio’s historic reliance on the Edwards Aquifer was curtailed in 1993 with adoption by the Texas Legislature of the Edwards Aquifer Act. • The city must now develop new water supplies to meet future demand.

  3. Groundwater Regulation Panel • Water supply initiatives already successfully pursued by SAWS include: • Aggressive water conservation • Nation’s largest recycled water system • One of the nation’s largest aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) projects • Surface water from Canyon Lake • Trinity Aquifer groundwater from Bexar County (GMA 9) • Carrizo Aquifer groundwater from Bexar County (GMA 13)

  4. Groundwater Regulation Panel • New water supply initiatives being pursued by SAWS include: • Production and transportation of fresh Carrizo Aquifer groundwater from Gonzales County (GMA 13) • Production, transportation and desalination of brackish Wilcox Aquifer groundwater from Bexar, Atascosa, and Wilson Counties (GMA 13)

  5. Groundwater Regulation Panel • New SAWS water supply initiatives (cont.): • LCRA project, including groundwater component for local agricultural use in the Colorado River Basin (GMA 15) • Possible development of other groundwater sources to the west, north, or northeast of San Antonio (GMAs 7, 9, 10, 12 or ?) • Seawater desalination

  6. Groundwater Regulation Panel • Specific GMA/DFC issues being addressed: • Drawdown levels by aquifer and sub-aquifer • Point of measurement (well field v county average) • Aquifer and spring flow interaction • Consistency with regional plans • Apparent predilection by some GMAs for adoption of DFCs on a political, rather than hydrological, basis

  7. Groundwater Regulation Panel • Priority issues for SAWS: • Timely adoption by GMAs of reasonable DFCs that allow predictable and reliable development of essential new groundwater projects • Expansion of Texas Water Development Board’s appellate role in reviewing the reasonableness of DFCs adopted by GMAs

  8. Groundwater Regulation Panel • Impact of MAG determination: • Determination of managed available groundwater will be a key factor in the availability of permits from local groundwater districts for future groundwater production. • Groundwater production will in turn be a critical factor for the future of the State of Texas. • The importance of water for the state’s future suggests the need for a larger state role in management of the state’s groundwater resources.

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