Jul
27
2011
Wanting a little more info on Texas Water? Check out the Texas Parks and Wildlife‘s 10th annual water issue. The issue’s articles deal with a variety of Texas water challenges. Here are some highlights:
The issue opens with a look at the last ten years of Texas water. Concern about the state’s water supply unifies “all sectors of the Texas populace, irrespective of social, political, economic or geographic considerations,” states Carter Smith in “A Decade of Water”. From large cities, such as Houston and Arlington, to smaller towns, such as Luling and Lufkin, Texans have embraced their local bayous, lakes and rivers over the last decade by tackling tough conservation issues and highlighting their beauty.
Larry McKinney reflects on the America’s Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and argues that its future and our futures are inextricably linked. He delves into the inherent contradictions in the Gulf—it is at the same time one of America’s most diverse environmental resources and one of the most economically productive areas in the US. He says that “We face significant challenges to the Gulf’s future, but it is not lost, not even close to being lost. What we have is worth all our best efforts to save.” Read more »
Jun
6
2011
Key Words for Rivers & Creeks (By Mike Mecke)
Today I thought I would share with you an excellent note on managing our creeks and rivers written by Steve Nelle, a Wildlife Biology Specialist with the NRCS-USDA State Office in San Angelo. Steve is active in our Texas Riparian Association and is a highly sought educator on these topics. This Note defines a number of important terms needed to fully understand riparian and watershed principles.
This was written several years ago, but is valid now and will be in 2500 too. I worked with Steve for a number of years when I was a Range Conservationist for the same agency, in Coke County. He is tops not only in the wildlife field, but range plants and riparian. Mike
Riparian Notes
Note Number 23, June 2007 Steve Nelle, NRCS, San Angelo, Texas
What is a Creek?
If you were asked to throw a rock into the creek, the result would be a splash and ripples. We often think of “the creek” as the water. But a creek is much more than the visible water. These are the major parts / components that combine together to make the creek:
- Channel
- Floodplain
- Water Table
- Base Flow
- Flood Flow
- Vegetation
- Sediment
- Debris
The Channel contains and directs the water at base flow up to bankfull flow. The channel should be relatively stable, yet dynamic, with bank erosion being balanced with new bank formation.
The Floodplain is where out-of-bank flows are able to spread out and dissipate the energy of the floodwaters and trap sediments and build the Riparian Sponge.
The Water Table is part of the creek. In fact, it may be a much greater volume of water than what is visible in the channel. The water table is fed by the creek during flood events; and in turn the water table feeds the creek during base flow. They are in intimate contact with each other.
Base Flow is what we normally think of as “the creek”. It is the water level for the majority of the year. On seasonal creeks, there is no base flow during parts of the year.
Flood Flow is a critical and essential part of creek health. Floods can do much damage, but they also build and rejuvenate creek systems. The more frequent floods, such as the 2 – 5 year events are actually more important than the infrequent 50 year events.
Vegetation is the most critical component of creek stability. The root masses of riparian grasses, sedges, forbs, shrubs and trees all work together to knit and reinforce the banks and floodplains. Vegetation also helps dissipate the energy of floodwaters so that sediment can settle out and be stabilized. Creeks have an amazing capacity to restore their own desirable vegetation as long as land management practices are adequate.
Sediment is what helps form new point bars, which add sinuosity and reduce stream energy. Trapped sediment is also what builds new and bigger floodplains, which in turn add water storage capacity to the Riparian Sponge. Erosion is often viewed as an undesirable process; however some riparian erosion is normal and desirable as it provides material for re-building channels, banks and floodplains.
Debris includes leaves, twigs, branches and large logs, which are lodged and deposited in the channel and floodplain. Such debris is important for organic enrichment of the riparian area and provides aquatic habitat. Large logs, which become partially or totally buried in sediment are extremely important for channel stability in many creeks.
Next time you go down to the creek, think bigger than the pools and riffles. Think about the entire system working together. When the system is in good working order, the many values and benefits we all appreciate about a creek will be present.
Feb
10
2011
Aussies Have Innovative Approach to Water Storage (By Gary Cutrer)
An Australian company that specializes in water systems has an innovative approach to water storage. Instead of setting above ground tanks and directing runoff to them, the company digs a wide, shallow hole, lines it with a membrane and then fills the void with interlocking plastic cubes with plenty of ‘empty space’ for water to occupy. Another membrane is used to cover the water ‘sponge’ and then some of the dirt that was excavated is used to level the storage area out, back to the original grade.
Here’s a video of that construction process from start to finish.
From the company’s website:
Modular systems are manufactured from 100% recycled plastics which have been designed with a unique interlocking capability, this allows Sub terra to design a tank to any size, shape and specifications your site calls for. Around trees, under sports fields, beneath major roads or as a complete watering system for parks and gardens.
Modular underground water storage tanks are fast and simple to install. The modular, inter-connecting style allows most of the tailoring and assembly to be done off-site. Once delivered, the erection is simple and the free-form structure can be as shallow as 0.1m and as deep as 2.5m, with any length and width in 1m increments.
Plastic modules with plenty of empty space for water are used to form the sponge.
The company suggests that parks, sports fields and similar open areas that really don’t bear any load from above, i.e. buildings, are ideal candidates for this type of storage system. I would imagine that, considering some type of plastic is used for the underlying and covering membranes, this system would have a definite lifespan and tend to deteriorate after that. Still, it’s an interesting concept and one that stimulates the thinking organ. (That would be the brain in most people.)
Feb
9
2011
TWDB Offering Free Conservation Workshop (By Gary Cutrer)
More Than a Drop Workshop, Feb. 23
The Texas Water Development Board, in partnership with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Brazos River Authority, is hosting a free water conservation workshop. The workshop will give an overview of reporting requirements for water conservation
, developing a water conservation plan and completing various reporting requirements. The workshop will also touch on various components of water conservation planning, strategies for selecting and establishing conservation programs and guidance on appropriate tools and resources.
, developing a water conservation plan and completing various reporting requirements. The workshop will also touch on various components of water conservation planning, strategies for selecting and establishing conservation programs and guidance on appropriate tools and resources.The conservation planning workshop is intended for those interested in receiving information, guidance and resources to assist in the development of water conservation plans and programs. The workshop is free of charge and is open to water industry professionals involved in water conservation and resource planning.
The workshop will be held Feb. 23 from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Brazos River Authority in Waco, Texas. Visit the TWDB’s website for more information, including an agenda and registration details.
Feb
9
2011
Toyota Funding 4-H Film on Water Conservation (By Gary Cutrer)
SAN ANTONIO The 4-H2O for the Alamo program in Bexar County is onee of the educational initiatives featured in a new film about water conservation in Texas being produced by National 4-H Council and funded by Toyota, according to project coordinators.
“The film will showcase what 4-H members throughout the state are doing to conserve water and to inspire other 4-H member and non-member youth to do the same,” said Tara Wheeler, national project manager-curriculum for National 4-H Council, headquartered in Chevy Chase, Md.
Wheeler said the film will be completed within the next few months and will have a finished length of five to 10 minutes. She added that while the film’s content is targeted at the middle school-level, young people at higher and lower grade levels also will be able to benefit from seeing it.
“The film is highlighting activities related to the 4-H2O Community Project supported by Toyota and 4-H, and 4-H2O for the Alamo in Bexar County is an example of this important national educational initiative,” she said. “The film’s content will address the need for water conservation throughout Texas and will include interviews with people who have chosen careers relating to environmental stewardship, so kids can learn about jobs involving environmental responsibility.”
The film will end with a “call to action” for young viewers to make changes in their communities by addressing local water issues and concerns, she added. It will be posted on the National 4-H website, http://www.4-h.org, and also will be shown to 4-H members and other young people at schools and in community venues nationwide.
According to the National 4-H Council, 4-H2O Community Project initiatives nationwide have been made possible by a $2 million commitment from Toyota. The initiative’s goal is to involve youth in water quality and conservation while increasing interest in the sciences.
Continue Reading »
Dec
15
2010
Wildfires soar as La Niña effects keep rain at bay
By ERIC BERGER
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
Dec. 8, 2010
The great drought of 2011 may have started two months ago.
Since Tropical Storm Hermine drenched central Texas in September, the state has been very dry, with large swaths receiving less than 10 percent of normal rainfall levels. Locally, nearly all but the southeastern corner of Harris County has received less than 50 percent of normal rain.
According to the National Climatic Data Center, the two-month period of October and November was the state’s eighth driest on record, and second driest in 44 years. If Texas doesn’t receive at least 0.78 inches in December, it would be the driest October-December period since the 1950s.
The beginnings of drought conditions now — an updated U.S. Drought Monitor released this morning will show much of Harris County now in a moderate and worsening drought — trouble
meteorologists because there’s little reason to expect relief during the next few months.
“Continuing dry weather is likely to persist at least into the spring,” said John Nielsen-Gammon, the state climatologist and a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University. “It’s probably going to get worse before it gets better.”
The big concern is that, absent a wet spring, a large part of the state could experience a severe drought in 2011.
“For now it’s impossible to predict summer rainfall,” Nielsen-Gammon said. “But as things look right now, there will be very little subsurface moisture heading into late spring. These are hair-trigger conditions for a drought.”
More immediately there’s the threat of wildfires as the state dries out.
An active fire season
Partly in response to the looming drought, the Texas Forest Service convened a workshop this week in College Station to alert state and federal fire agencies about the threat, and to prepare.
“There are important indicators however that at least an active fire season is at hand,” said Todd Lindley, a senior forecaster at the National Weather Service office in Lubbock.
Rainfall late in the state’s growing season fed the growth of grasslands that are now drying out, which will provide fuel for any fires sparked.
Wildfires are common in Texas, especially in Lindley’s forecasting area, during these months as strong winter systems bring gusty wind conditions that can easily spread fires.
Forecasters expect a dry fall to continue this winter because of strong La Niña conditions in the equatorial Pacific — where sea surface temperatures are cooler than normal — which typically leads to drier and warmer winters.
The warmth matters too, when it comes to drought, as warmer daytime highs increase the rate of evaporation, further drying the soil.
For Houston a strong La Niña phase almost always yields a very dry winter. According to data compiled by forecaster Chuck Roeseler with the Houston/Galveston office of the National Weather Service, La Niña conditions this winter will be most similar to the winters of 1916-1917, 1917-1918, 1955-1956, 1975-1976 and 1999-2000.
During a typical October-to-March period in Houston, the city receives 22.4 inches of rain. On average, during those five La Niña winters, the city recorded just 10.5 inches of rain, or less than half of normal levels.
“Numbers very similar to this hold true for nearly all of central and south Texas,” said Victory Murphy, a climate expert with the National Weather Service’s Southern Region Headquarters in Fort Worth. “As one moves northward into northern Texas, the signal for dryness is somewhat muted.”
In response to the drying conditions 80 Texas counties have already enacted burn bans, including Waller, Fort Bend and Chambers counties nearby.
Agricultural damage
Murphy said the agricultural impacts could also be acute if the drought persists. During the last major state drought in 2008 to 2009, farming losses were estimated to be $3.6 billion by Carl Anderson, of A&M’s Agriculture Extension Department.
“This impact will need to be monitored very closely by dry land farmers as well as pasture and rangeland producers starting in the springtime when planting begins,” Murphy said.
There’s no immediate threat to stream or river flows, however. Widespread, heavy rains helped Texas emerge from a drought late in the summer of 2009 and, through this past June have raised water reservoir levels into good shape.
However, absent spring rains or — be careful what you wish for — a few good, soaking tropical systems next summer, there could be impacts on water usage and pumping next April and May when homeowners seek to green their lawns, and farmers their fields.
courtesy: Brown & Caldwell Water News, Dec. 15, 2010
Nov
24
2010
By Kiah Collier
Published Monday, November 22, 2010
SAN ANGELO, Texas — The end of the city of San Angelo’s five-year-old battle to amend its Twin Buttes Water Rights permit is in sight, but the matter is not yet finished.
An administrative law judge in Austin has decided in the city’s favor on two pending applications that the city submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in early 2005, which were later challenged by more than 40 farmers, ranchers and other downstream water rights holders who have argued that the amendments would violate their rights to use the reservoir water.
The judge’s recommendations will go before the TCEQ commission sometime in the next three months. The challengers to the amendments, who filed jointly as the Concho Watershed Association, have filed a series of exceptions to the judge’s recommendation on one of the application amendments.
That amendment application requests “clarification” in the language in the Twin Buttes permit that deals with “what water belongs to the city or that the city could impound in the dam and what water that the city was obligated to pass to downstream water rights holders,” according to Jason Hill, the city’s special counsel who delivered what he called the “good news” to the San Angelo City Council last week.
The portion the application seeks to clarify is a paragraph in the permit that requires San Angelo to release all natural flow downstream on the Concho River, but also permits it to store flood and rainwater “for use in its water system, as well as for eastern Tom Green County farmers served by the Main Canal,” according to a 2008 Standard-Times article published when the association filed a petition opposing the amendments.
Hill and local water attorney Tom Massey, who has also worked for the city, have argued that the paragraph that requires the city to release water to downstream water-rights holders on a non-request basis is null because the paragraph does not exist in a 1979 adjudication certificate, the result of a court review of the water rights along the Concho.
“It contained some innocuous language that quite frankly was more relevant to the pre-adjudication era of water rights management in Texas and it had some language that it carried over into the certificate that really in today’s modern water rights management structure in Texas, didn’t have a place and created some consternation for the Water Utilities Department and how they operated the dam based on that language,” Hill told the council.
Massey said in 2008 that, because the paragraph doesn’t exist in the certificate, it means the water in Twin Buttes is the city’s property and that should be released downstream only on request something Massey said the city has done.
“Stored water is not subject to call,” Massey said. “It’s our water. We paid for the dam. … That’s pretty well-established law.”
Glenn Jarvis, the McAllen-based attorney representing the association, has argued that the paragraph’s absence from the certificate is an error because when the courts were creating adjudication certificates, they did not have the jurisdiction to revise water rights permits.
Although Hill and Massey assured the council that the city has a strong case that will likely trump the exceptions filed in response to the judge’s recommendation or any appeals made after the TCEQ makes its decision — Jarvis is also confident. Jarvis says the association’s argument is still that the missing paragraph is an error, but also that the judge’s decision did not take into account other language in the certificate,
“It has certain provisions in the water rights that protect other water right holders and that is what our argument is, is that the amendment takes away the protection in the water rights that gives protection to other water right holders that they will have water to use.”
Oct
27
2010
County will study ways to regulate groundwater use.
By Marty Toohey
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 12:31 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010
Published: 10:38 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010
Travis County commissioners unanimously approved a one-year ban Tuesday on nearly all new development in western parts of the county that would rely on water from the Trinity Aquifer.
The county has received complaints of wells that draw from the Trinity running dry. County officials say the ban would give them time to study and enact stricter rules governing what can be built over Travis County’s portion of the Trinity, a massive aquifer that stretches from North Texas to west of San Antonio and is divided into many pockets, including one in western Travis and northern Hays County.
The ban is intended “to take a pause to have a dialogue with those landowners” who draw or might draw from the Trinity, Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt said.
Some affected property owners were unhappy about the county’s decision. Ted Stewart , who owns land near Hamilton Pool Road, said the commissioners chose to infringe on the property rights of rural Travis County residents to appease “mostly downtown metrosexuals or people (already) living on beautiful, 5-acre subdivided properties in the Hill Country.”
The ban does not apply to developments that have already been approved, such as the West Cypress Hills subdivision, where about 100 of 1,500 planned homes have been built. The ban also does not apply to planned subdivisions with pending applications for county permits.
In addition, the ban includes some minor exceptions. For instance, it does not apply to developments with lots larger than 10 acres , as long as the developer does not build any roads.
The ban is necessary, county officials say, because of long-term population growth and water demand forecasts, and wells in the region that periodically run dry. “Most of the dry wells are associated with increased pumpage due to recent development,” independent hydrologist Raymond Slade Jr. wrote in a 2006 report for the Hays Trinity Groundwater District, which oversees pumping from the Trinity in adjacent Hays County.
Todd Reimers, whose family owns large tracts in western Travis County, said enacting such a district in the western part of the county — as opposed to a building ban — is the best way to address the water issues. There are now seven districts operating along the Trinity, and Slade said Travis should have one to ensure that Travis can claim its share of the water.
The state is laying groundwork for such a district, which must be approved by a majority of people who would live within its bounds.
Commissioner Karen Huber, who represents western Travis County, said she supports the idea but is skeptical that the district would effectively regulate water use without additional county rules.
The commissioners approved the ban 3-0; Ron Davis and Margaret Gómez were absent.
“It’s prudent to be proactive,” said John Dupnik , with the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, which helps manage a neighboring portion of the Edwards Aquifer and contends that drought and increased development are probably contributing to dry Trinity wells.
The Trinity is one of the most highly used groundwater resources in Texas, according to the State Water Plan, last updated in 2006. Although its primary use is for municipalities, it is also used for irrigation, livestock and other domestic purposes.
In 2008, during the drought that parched much of Central Texas, Jacob’s Well, a prized spring fed by the Trinity Aquifer in northern Hays County, went dry. It was the first time it had gone dry since 2000 and only the second time since pioneers settled in the area.
Jacob’s Well is the primary source of water for Cypress Creek, which runs through Wimberley.
mtoohey@statesman.com; 445-3673
Oct
15
2010
Who owns the groundwater beneath your land? (By Gary Cutrer)
Landowner groups host groundwater ownership forum in Lubbock
PRESS RELEASE FROM Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
AUSTIN, TEXAS – Texas landowner groups have joined forces in an effort to ensure that groundwater continues to be recognized as a vested, real private property right. The groups will host an educational forum Oct. 28, at the Merket Alumni Center from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. The forums are aimed to help the public understand current groundwater ownership issues.
The growing effort, currently supported by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA); the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA); the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB); the Texas Poultry Federation (TPF); the Exotic Wildlife Association (EWA); the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association (TSGRA); the Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA); the Texas Association of Dairymen (TAD); the South Texans’ Property Rights Association (STPRA); the Riverside and Landowners Protection Coalition; the Texas Forestry Association; and the Texas Land and Mineral Owners Association (TLMA), brings together more than 400,000 Texans who own more than 50 million acres of private property.
According to estimates by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), by 2060 Texas’ population will more than double, increasing its water demand by 27 percent. Because groundwater from Texas aquifers supply more than half the water for the state, it is critical that groundwater resources be managed to provide for current and future use.
Each forum will cover various groundwater topics including the current groundwater regulation under the Texas Water Code, legal issues surrounding groundwater, and why groundwater conservation is important not only to private property owners in Texas, but also to Texas communities.
Forums are free and open to the public. The Merket Alumni Center is located at 17th and University in Lubbock. For more information visit www.groundwaterownership.com.
Oct
2
2010
Water News Briefs (By Mike Mecke)
Published in October 2010 Ranch & Rural Living Magazine
Paved Dallas-Fort Worth Prairie is Fertile Ground for Floodwaters
Sept. 9, 2010 By Randy Lee Loftis Dallas Morning News
The tropical downpour in North Texas this week showed one effect of decades of urbanization: flash floods worsened by the wholesale paving of the prairie.
The remains of Tropical Storm Hermine left many neighborhoods awash Wednesday. And though few areas might escape flooding when 5 to 10 inches of rain falls in a day, planners say widespread development – the replacing of native grasslands and woods with roofs, roads and parking lots – has worsened the risk.
Water that once might have taken its time rambling along wide waterways and soaking into the soil now hurries toward the nearest overloaded drain or down a concrete-lined ditch.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/091010dnmetflood.29bc6e9.html
D-FW Businesses, Governments Trying to Conserve Water
Sept. 12, 2010 By Bill Hanna Fort Worth Star-Telegram
There’s no way of getting around it — you can’t make beer without water. But the MillerCoors Fort Worth Brewery in south Fort Worth, while consuming 887 million gallons in 2009, is using less water these days.
. . .
And for many years Dallas-Fort Worth has battled the perception that it uses an inordinate amount of water compared with other parts of the state. Some Oklahoma legislators involved in the Tarrant Regional Water District’s legal fight to obtain water from north of the Red River have also portrayed the region’s communities as “water hogs” and given that as a reason for opposing the sale of water to Texas.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/09/12/2462204/dfw-businesses-governments-trying.html
Rainwater Catchment System Put to Use at BHS
Sept. 9, 2009 Bandera County Courier
Bandera High School’s Construction Trades classes made history today by using the district’s first rainwater catchment system, built last school year through a grant made possible by the Bandera ISD Education Foundation, to water the new BHS Softball Field.
With just a few adjustments, the students under the supervision of teacher Brad Flink and BISD maintenance worker Jason Smith were spraying a 30-foot stream of water over the softball outfield.
http://www.bccourier.com/Archives/Community_detail.php?recordID=100909C8
El Paso Water Utilities Projects Underway
Sept. 8, 2010 By Kandolite Flores KFOX El Paso
An El Paso Water Utilities project has closed the right lane of Zaragoza Road just south of Gateway East for about 200 feet. A leak was detected in a waterline, and crews must excavate and survey the line to pinpoint the location of the leak. This work is necessary to prevent disruption of water service to customers and further inconveniences for drivers. The lane is anticipated to reopen by Friday, September 17. We ask for the community’s patience during this project.
http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/24926588/detail.html
Securing a Balance for Region’s Future Water
Sept. 12, 2010 By Robert Rivard My SA News
Imagine a worst-case scenario in the coming years: A federal judge advised by officials charged with enforcing the Endangered Species Act decides when San Antonio residents can water their lawns and when farmers can irrigate their crops.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/environment/water_work_laboring_to_secure_a_regions_future_balance_102712199.html
Water Symposium Presentations Slated for Fredericksburg, San Antonio, Kerrville
The 2010-2011 Texas Water Symposium Series will provide perspectives from policy makers, scientists, water resource experts and regional leaders. Join us as we explore together, the complexity and challenges in providing water for Texans in this century. Each session is free and open to the public. Nov. 11: Texas Tech University, Hill Country University Center Bldg, Fredericksburg; Jan 27: Witte Museum, San Antonio co-hosted and sponsored by the Witte Museum; March 31: Schreiner University, Callioux Campus Activity Center, Kerrville Texas.
http://www.schreiner.edu/news/2010/news10_sept13_texas_water0913.html
Texas Water Development Board
Providing Application for Financial Assistance
Texas Water Development Board is offering a new application for financial assistance for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/assistance/financial/fin_assistance/
Texas Irrigation Expo October 21-22, 2010
TexasIrrigationExpo.com
The Rio Grande Valley will be the site of a major, statewide exposition on agricultural irrigation to be held in Mercedes.
The two-day event will include presentations by expert speakers, tours of demonstration sites currently using on-farm water conservation tools and techniques, a scholarship contest for high school students, and exhibitors displaying the latest technology and equipment. The Harlingen Irrigation District is coordinating the event as part of the state’s Agricultural Water Conservation Demonstration Initiative, which is funded through a grant from the Texas Water Development Board. This event is free and open to the public.
http://www.texasirrigationexpo.org/
N.M. Official: Headwaters Deserve Special Protection
Sept. 15, 2010 By Susan Montoya Bryan AP/Alamogorda Daily News
Nearly half of New Mexico’s surface water comes from federal forest lands, and some of those headwater streams, lakes and wetlands deserve special protections to ensure they continue providing clean water for the state, a top official with the New Mexico Environment Department said Tuesday. Marcy Leavitt, head of the department’s Water and Wastewater Division, was among the experts who testified before the Water Quality Control Commission at the start of a four-day hearing at the state capitol.
The commission is considering a petition by the department that aims to designate about 700 miles of rivers and streams, 29 lakes and more than 4,900 acres of wetlands in a dozen wilderness areas as so-called “outstanding national resource waters.” The designation would protect the waters by prohibiting any activities that would degrade water quality. Several of New Mexico’s rivers flow into Texas.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/newmexico/ci_16076925
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