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Relation of Regional Water Planning Process to Water Marketing

Relation of Regional Water Planning Process to Water Marketing. presented by. Lynn Sherman. Texas Water Law Institute. November 5, 2004. The State’s 1 st privately funded company committed to developing multiple wholesale water projects around the state on a systematic basis

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Relation of Regional Water Planning Process to Water Marketing

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  1. Relation ofRegional Water Planning Process to Water Marketing presented by Lynn Sherman Texas Water Law Institute November 5, 2004

  2. The State’s 1st privately funded company committed to developing multiple wholesale water projects around the state on a systematic basis in partnership with landowners, governmental entities, and local communities.

  3. Landowners partners with: • Water utilities • Local communities Bridgingresources and communities

  4. Demand exceeds available supply in 400 communities and 96 counties TODAY.

  5. If nothing is done, we will have severe shortages throughout the state.

  6. ALMOST ON PAR WITH 50’S DROUGHT Developed Supplies Per Capita 1950’s TODAY

  7. NEEDED SUPPLIES POPULATION DOUBLES IN 2050 UNPARALLELED GROWTH EXISTING SUPPLIES DECREASE BY 20% 1950’s DROUGHT DAM BUILDING ERA “NO DEVELOPMENT” PERIOD FUTURE 1980’s to Date 1960’s-1980’s Water Development Timeline DEVELOPED SUPPLIES

  8. How much more water do we need… 50% more

  9. That’s 7.4 million acre feet …almost enough to flood every city in Texas 1 foot deep

  10. Where will the water come from? • Most rivers are fully or over appropriated • Most good reservoir sites are gone • Reservoir permitting is much more difficult • Bays and estuaries need increasing protection • Water transfers are the preferred method • Groundwater is most available for transfer

  11. Voluntary Water Transfers

  12. Voluntary water transfers rank second behind reuse of treated wastewater as the preferred water management strategy for Texas Source: Texas A&M survey of regional planning group participants regarding the most preferred and feasible water management strategies.

  13. The regional planning process is intended to “facilitate” water transfers. • The TWDB’s regional planningguidance principles must • consider “the application of principles that result in • voluntary redistribution of water resources.” • TWC § 16.051(d) • Each regional plan is required to include consideration of • the “voluntary transfer of water within the region” using • mechanisms such as “sales, leases, [and] options.” • TWC § 16.053(e)(5)(H) • The TWDB and each regional planning group is required to • make “legislative recommendations…needed and • desirable to facilitate more voluntary water transfers.” • TWC § 16.051(e), 16.053(i)

  14. In addition, regional planning groups are required to consider “all potentially feasible water management strategies, including…acquisition of available existing supplies, and development of new water supplies.” TWC § 16.053(e)(5)(c) However, this is not being done.

  15. There are at least three reasons: • There is no established, formal process for • submitting water management strategies. • Unlike public water purveyors and other • political subdivisions, private interests • (even those with water supplies) cannot • require a regional planning group to • consider a change to its regional plan. See TWC16.054(d) 3. Private water development interests are not represented on regional planning groups.

  16. As a result, a number of feasible voluntary water transfers involving private interests will not be included in the next set of regional plans. The effect: These projects might not be considered until the next regional planning cycle which will not culminate in a state water plan until 2012. The problem: For the next 50 years, the most critical year for implementing strategies is 2010. Water for Texas – Summary of Regional Water Plans, February 1, 2001, p. 10.

  17. Science

  18. “Like beauty, [groundwater] availability is in the eye of the beholder. ” Therefore, different regions have defined groundwater availability differently for the same groundwater source.” Robert E. Mace, William F. Mullican, III, Ted (Shao-Chih) Way, Estimating Groundwater Availability in Texas, Texas Water Development Board, January 2001, p. 9.

  19. “When producing from an aquifer, the water comes from three possible sources: recharge, storage, or cross-formational flow.“ Robert E. Mace, William F. Mullican, III, Ted (Shao-Chih) Way, Estimating Groundwater Availability in Texas, Texas Water Development Board, January 2001, p. 1. ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ Rain ▼ ▼ ▼ Underflow Storage

  20. Recharge only and Recharge only from 1/3 of the District

  21. Recharge doesn’t reflect where the groundwater IS ! or how much is there. or or

  22. Source: LBG-Guyton Associates

  23. Not only are groundwater districts limiting their consideration of water availability to recharge, some are ignoring significant aquifers altogether.

  24. In one instance, the district’s recently adopted water management plan declares a deficit of 10,000 af/yr ; however, it refused to consider an aquifer that the preliminary GAM results suggest could satisfy ALL the district’s 2060 demands alone, without using any other aquifer.

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