State of Our Water Resource Management Programs

Transcription

1 State of Our Water Resource Management Programs Presentation to Bentwater Civic Association June 23, 2016 PDF of Presentation Available on website home page:

2 History and Status of LCCN 10 th year: championing the community s water interests Intense research: facts, legal issues, policies and politics Community education: comprehensive campaigns Meetings & testimony: Repeated sessions with all local, regional and state leaders and agencies Turning point for communities

3 Where we are 15 Years into the Era of Water Mgt Ground water Policies/rules: rittled with illegality Restrictions: NO justification Economic Loss: huge increased costs Plans/programs: NO REAL monitoring and management Surface water Diversions: Pursuing maximum permitted; NO valid justification Lake Stability: NO visible recognition/management of REAL issues Control: Complete monopoly control of county water system

4 Why Should Bentwater Care Given Its Catahoula Program Drinking Water Impacts Cost of water artificially higher for everyone INCLUDING Bentwater Years/$10 s of thousands spent fighting and avoiding Lone Star and SJRA s SJRA GRP $ millions more creating and operating a Catahoula well system $ millions in economic loss already from curtailed use of existing Jasper well system $ millions more from losses of future Jasper system use

5 Why Bentwater Should Care Cont d Lake Impacts on Property Values Shift in water diversion pressure: FROM: Houston s one 50,000 ac-ft call in 40+ yrs (2011) TO: 100,000 ac-ft/yr, with a tax to Houston of 75 cents to $1 gal/1,000 gal Destabilization of lake levels, disproportionate impacts on shorelines & property values Restrictions on recreational diversions, e.g., golf courses Lack of any system for managing sediment build-up which disproportionately impacts economically critical shorelines

6 Where Bentwater Can Apply its Political Muscle Conroe Lawsuit Express Your Political Support Court ordered legal regulatory operations for Lone Star Court ordered protection of landowner water property rights County Commissioners Make Your Views Known They appoint controlling seats on the Lone Star board (2 of 9) Commissioners seats need to lead major house cleaning: Accept fallacy of any fact basis for current rules Move to legally sound operations and rulemaking

7 Making an Impact Cont d State Senators and Representatives Political Support FIREWALL BETWEEN SURFACE AND GROUND WATER AGENCY DECISION MAKING/OPERATIONS Modification of Lone Star s enabling legislation in upcoming 2017 legislature: Remove SJRA s seat Assign SJRA s seat to someone WITHOUT an inherent conflict of interest

8 ..GET ENGAGED

9 FACT 1 Water Levels In County Well Field Systems NOT GOING TO CHINA!

10 Hype vs Reality Lone Star Assertion: Conroe Going to China Major Well Fields Maturing & Leveling Off -- Woodlands (below); Conroe

11 FACT 2 THE SKY IS NOT FALLING -- County groundwater use is not/will not generate actionable land surface subsidence

12 THANK GOD We are NOT Like Harris County (et al) WASTING County s Unique Competitive Advantage for Growth Subsidence Stations Only one shows measurable land movement; not actionable Sources massively skewed to Evangeline GW production OUTSIDE of county: Montgomery 33,000 ac-ft/yr Harris Fort Bend 234,000 ac-ft/yr 72,000 ac-ft/yr

13 Only Characterized Source is Harris/Fort Bend. Montgomery Marginal 0 to 1 ft subsidence projected: ALL from south of Montgomery Montgomery County

14 FACT 3 SJRA statements of lake level drops for each phase of drinking water diversion project are BIASED 50% LOW

15 100,000 ac-ft Diversions Drop Lake Levels 6 ft NOT 4 ft

16 FACT 4 Preservation of Economic Value of Lake HUGE UNMET CHALLENGE: Demands fresh view of lake management Requires substantive community involvement

17 Economic Value Requires Stable Water Levels Real-time monitoring/analysis/reporting of ALL natural water sources Rainfall Evaporation Watershed Means/methods/programs that predict and manage diversions to conditions In El Ninos: maximize diversions to help reduce GW demand In droughts: Cut/eliminate diversions (increase GW use) Means for moving water into lake (Trinity River) when needed for stability

18 Economic Value Requires Stable Lake Bottom Levels TWDB 2010 Survey: Yellow marks Sediment Layer Sedimentation VERY ACTIVE in Lake Conroe. Disproportionately impacts economically valuable portions of lake Sediment coupled with diversion EXACERBATES threats Loss of navigable water to/around economic assets Loss of lakefront Devaluation of lakefront property

19 Lake Houston s Record of Sedimentation

20 Lake Conroe Sedimentation TWDB 2010 Survey Sediment settles in shallows perimeters, bays, channels Sedimentation disproportionately impacts most economically valuable portions of the lake

21 FACT 5 County s Well Systems NOT Suffering Significant Performance Declines with Increasing Water Production

22 Misrepresentation of Facts on Well System Performance Lone Star May 24 Presentation RED marks well water level BLUE marks well pumping rate Lone Star ASSERTION Severe degradation of county well performance (50%) Cause: declining well water levels County-wide FACTS ONLY one Woodlands well in Evangeline aquifer cited MUD operators throughout county (>100 wells) see no signs of asserted problem CONCLUSION Unprofessional manipulation

23 AND SO, IN CLOSING