Federal Register Notice of the development of the EAHCP

In December, after previously being approved by the City of San Marcos, Texas State University, the City of New Braunfels, and the San Antonio Water System, the EAA Board approved the EARIP “program documents,” and the multi-party Joint Funding Agreement.

The EAHCP Funding and Management Agreement became effective. In January, an application for an incidental take permit for the EAHCP was filed with the USFWS by the EAA, the San Antonio Water System, City of New Braunfels, City of San Marcos, and Texas State University. The EAHCP Implementing Committee conducted its first organizational meeting.

In March, the multi-party Joint Funding Agreement for the Implementation of the Habitat Conservation Plan for the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program became effective.

In June, EAHCP Stakeholders Committee conducted its first organizational meeting.

The Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program (EARIP) is a collaborative initiative among EAHCP stakeholders to participate in efforts to contribute to the recovery of the Edwards Species, develop aquifer management measures, and develop conservation measures for the Edwards Aquifer.

In December, the USFWS issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement – Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program Habitat Conservation Plan relative to the EAHCP ITP application.

The EAA Board approved a Joint Funding Agreement with the Nueces River Authority to provide additional funding for the implementation of the EAHCP. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued its Record of Decision – Edwards Aquifer Authority Recovery Implementation Program Habitat Conservation Plan Issuance of an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) for Federally Listed Threatened and Endangered Species in Texas relative to the ITP application.

The USFWS issues Incidental Take Permit (ITP) on March 19. The 15-year ITP enables the EAA, SAWS, the City of New Braunfels, the City of San Marcos and Texas State University (the applicants) to restore and enhance habitats for eight threatened and endangered species while simultaneously implementing water conservation measures that will ensure freshwater flows that support both native wildlife and the area’s regional economy, including Stage V CPM. Additionally, two of the springflow protection measures — Voluntary Irrigation Suspension Program Option (VISPO) and Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) leasing — begin implementation.

In May, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill No. 1241, which improved the EAA’s administration of its permitting program by repealing the prohibition on exempt wells being located within subdivisions requiring platting and created a new category of “limited production” exempt wells.

The Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP) Steward is a monthly newsletter highlighting the collaborative efforts to protect the threatened and endangered species that inhabit the Edwards Aquifer and to ensure a healthy habitat within the Comal and San Marcos spring systems. Each newsletter features a story about a conservation activity, contractor, volunteer organization, or dedicated individual working to support and/or implement EAHCP conservation measures.

VISPO is a unique initiative of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP) for irrigation users who wish to help protect springflow for federally listed threatened and endangered species. The VISPO Program is an irrigation suspension program and compensates enrolled irrigation permit holders for being enrolled in the program but it also pays an additional suspension rate in years where irrigation suspension is required.

The Edwards Aquifer Conservancy is created June 3 to support and benefit the work of the Edwards Aquifer Authority, including the establishment of programs and practices that protect habitat and species, sustain agricultural practices, promote water conservation and support the development of water management solutions within the Edwards Aquifer region.

On October 1, the maximum daily well level at Well J-17 in Bexar County was measured at equal to or less than 635 feet mean sea level, thus triggering VISPO forbearance. The EAA’s General Manager issued a Notice of Commencement of a Forbearance Year for VISPO program enrollees to take effect on January 1, 2015 for the calendar year 2015.

The VISPO program exceeds its enrollment goal of 40,000 acre-feet. The ASR leasing program struggles for participation.

In January, all VISPO participants (40,921 acre-feet of enrolled permitted rights) were required to forbear from making any withdrawals from the Aquifer from their enrolled Edwards permits during the entirety of calendar year 2015.

In March, the National Academy of Sciences published its Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan Report 1 in which it reviewed the scientific efforts of the EAHCP and provided an evaluation and recommendations on how such efforts might be strengthened.

After exceeding its original goal to enroll 40,000 acre-feet of Edwards irrigation permits into VISPO in 2014, the EAA assumed responsibility for the Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) leasing program from the San Antonio River Authority. Leasing rates and terms were modified, rainfall was abundant through June, and enrollment in the program increased.

The ASR Springflow Protection Program is a water conservation program is designed to protect springflow for federally listed threatened and endangered species during times of severe, long-term droughts by financially compensating municipal, industrial, and irrigation permit holders who enroll all or part of their base irrigation or unrestricted groundwater rights for the benefit of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP).

In January, the contract between the EAA and the San Antonio Water System effectively completed the implementation of the springflow protection measure for the Regional Water Conservation Program in which 20,000 acre-feet per year of Edwards groundwater would be conserved of which 10,000 acre-feet per year would be forborne from withdrawal from 2016-2028 to remain in the Aquifer to help ensure springflows from Comal Springs and San Marcos Springs to support the endangered and threatened species at the springs consistent with the EAHCP. SAWS effectuated the conservation of Edwards groundwater through the implementation of a leak detection and repair program.

ASR leasing enrollment increases to more than 33,000 acre-feet, resulting in cumulative storage of nearly 51,000 acre-feet.

The National Academy of Sciences published its Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan Report 2 in which it built upon the recommendations it had previously made in its 2015 report and the EAA’s responses to that report, as well as evaluated the hydrologic and ecological modeling and the Conservation Measures that were being undertaken.

The National Academy of Sciences published its Review of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan Report 3 in which it evaluated the likelihood of whether the Biological Objectives set out in the EAHCP would meet the Biological Goals and whether the Conservation Measures in the EAHCP would likely meet the Biological Objectives.

2019, marked the 27th lecture in the series with guest lecturer Dr. Ronald Green, an Institute Scientist in the Earth Science Section in the Space Science and Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.

Texas wild-rice (Zizania texana) is found primary in the upper reaches of the San Marcos River in Hays County, Texas. Prior to the implementation of the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP), increased recreation, river bottom dredging, plant collecting for aquarium trade business, the introduction of non-native aquatic species, and wastewater pollution posed threats to the survival of the endangered species. As permittees of the EAHCP, the City of San Marcos, in partnership with Texas State University, implemented a Texas wild-rice enhancement and restoration program that works to remove non-native aquatic vegetation and plant Texas wild-rice in its place. The program has been very successful – with the coverage of Texas wild-rice increasing 129% from the summer of 2013 (5,019 m2) to summer of 2019. This Story Map illustrates the increased expansion of Texas wild-rice in the San Marcos spring system.

Grand Opening of the EAHCP Refugia Facility at the San Marcos Aquatic Resource Center (SMARC). The new facility utilizes the USFWS’s designs to meet certain specifications for the threatened and endangered species, including tanks for housing the species, security systems, energy-saving solar panels, and a quarantine building. The EAHCP is intended to provide assurance that suitable habitat for the 8 threatened and endangered species will remain in both the two major springs that exist in Texas – the San Marcos and Comal Springs, which feed the San Marcos and Comal Rivers.

At the May 23, 2019 Joint EAHCP Stakeholder and Implementing Committee meeting, Resolution No. 05-19-001 was signed effectively validating the transition to the second phase of the EAHCP program and confirming the Conservation Measures that will be implemented through 2028. To view Resolution No. 05-19-001 visit link.

The EAHCP Implementing Committee approved the Comprehensive Phase II Work Plan. The EAHCP Implementing Committee approved the Strategic Adaptive Management resolution, which marked the transition from Phase I to Phase II of the EAHCP and provided that, with certain amendments to the VISPO program, the Conservation Measures that were in place during Phase I would be continued into Phase II.

The Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) announced a partnership with ultra-accessible™ Morgan’s Wonderland Camp (MWC), a 102-acre recreational oasis on the northern outskirts of San Antonio that will year-round offer a summer camp-type experience to those with and without special needs. It has been of longstanding importance to the EAA to impart water wisdom by cultivating a curiosity for the life-sustaining groundwater system below our feet – The Edwards Aquifer.

The Edwards Aquifer Conservancy (EAC), the supporting non-profit organization for the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA), was granted the deeds to 150+ acres of land known as the Cibolo Vista Tracts 1 and 2 by the San Antonio City Council at its November 14th meeting. The EAA named this site the EAA Field Research Park, which will feature sustainable land management and field research activities, to improve our understanding of the Edwards Aquifer system.