Greetings!
In another major victory for Environmental Stewardship, a final decision and operating permits have been issued on the LCRA's groundwater permit that requires the LCRA and the District to monitor the impact of groundwater pumping on surface water as a enforceable condition of the permit.
For nearly a decade, Environmental Stewardship has had three primary objectives in protecting the Colorado River. The first objective has been to get a surface water-groundwater monitoring network installed in the river basin in Bastrop, Texas. The second objective has been to protect the river and its tributaries from over-pumping by limiting the amount of pumping allowed in the Desired Future Conditions (DFCs) within the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District and Groundwater Management Area 12, The third objective has been to get a surface water specific DFC adopted for the river.
With this decision, and the progress made by the WaterDefenders coalition in limiting the amount of pumping allowed under the DFCs, key elements of Environmental Stewardship's primary objectives regarding protection of the Colorado River and its tributaries are set to be met in the next few years.
LCRA Final Decision and Permits
The LCRA groundwater permit application was submitted in 2018 and was immediately contested by Environmental Stewardship, the General Manager of Lost Pines (GM), and five other parties. After a six day hearing before two administrative law judges (ALJs) from the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) that took place in October of 2019, a final decision by the Lost Pines GCD Board of Directors was recently released, and the permits were signed and issued earlier this week.
In addition to the LCRA pumping being limited to only 8,000 AFY (they requested 25,000 AFY), important surface water protection conditions are included in the final decision and well permits.
This sets the stage for Lost Pines District to include a surface water protection component in its management plan which must be updated by 1/24/2023.
With this milestone, our goals are greatly advanced, and it is realistic that all three of Environmental Stewardship's objectives to protect the river and its tributaries may be met, in practice, in the coming years.
Unfortunately, we can expect that there will be obstacles thrown in the path forward, so we will need to keep rising to the occasion. With your help, we can get this done!
Please consider a donation today!
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WaterDefenders Coalition DFCs
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