Bech Bruun – Chairman

1. Texas Water Development Board
Update
Bech Bruun – Chairman
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2. Drought Update
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October 4, 2011 June 9, 2015

3. Reservoir Conservation Storage Data
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Storage for June 11, 2015: 24.6 Million acre-ft (83.7%)
Conservation capacity: 31.5 Million acre-ft

4. Statewide Reservoir Conditions
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June 9, 2015

5. Lake Arrowhead – Wichita Falls
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January 22, 2014 - 27% Full May 1, 2015 - 20% Full

6. Lake Arrowhead – Recent Rains
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7. 7
Source: NPR StateImpact

8. SWIFT Applications
• Received 48 abridged apps for over $5.2B
• Invited 39 projects in for full application
– Totaling approx. $4B over 10 years
– Multi-year commitments
– Approx. $1B in projects for 2015 invited to apply
• July 23, 2015 – Target for board commitments
• Fall 2015 – Bond Sale
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9. SWIFT Timeline
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Fall
* TWDB bond sale and closing
* Borrowers close loans
Summer
* TWDB considers and approves applications
* TWDB authorizes bond sale
Spring
* TWDB prioritizes abridged applications
* Invitations to apply are extended
* Entities submit complete applications

10. 84th Legislative Session Budget Riders
• $1 million for Water Conservation Education Grants
for 2016
• $1 million for Demonstration Projects for Alternative
Water Supplies for 2016 (Groundwater Conservation
Districts)
• $1.125 million for both 2016 and 2017 for Quantifying
and Installing Water Conservation Strategies
• $2 million contingency rider for HB 30 or HB 1232 plus
2 FTEs (Groundwater Division)
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11. 84th Legislative Session Impacts
• HB 1224 (Lucio):
– Allows cross-collateralization of Drinking Water
SRF with Clean Water SRF to strengthen the credit
rating of the DWSRF.
– Demand for the DWSRF has increased in past
several years, with commitments increasing from
$6.7 million in 2010 to $230 million in 2014, due
in part to greater outreach efforts.
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12. 84th Legislative Session Impacts
• HB 949 (Lucio):
– HB 3605 last session directed that a portion of
TWDB financial assistance be used to mitigate a
utility’s system water loss if the water loss meets
or exceeds threshold established by board rule.
– HB 949 allows TWDB to provide flexibility in
addressing water loss if the applicant is already
addressing its water loss issues.
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13. 84th Legislative Session Impacts
• HB 30 (Larson):
– Encourages and facilitates development of brackish
groundwater
– Expedites TWDB BRACS program
– $1.7 million appropriated in fiscal year 2016 for
contract studies for designating priority zones in
Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer between the Colorado and Rio
Grande Rivers, and Gulf Coast, Blaine, Rustler, or other
appropriate aquifers
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14. 84th Legislative Session Impacts
• HB 200 (Keffer):
– Establishes an appeal process to challenge
reasonableness of aquifer desired future conditions
– TWDB will provide technical analyses and expert
witness type function
– Requires revisions to TWDB Ch. 356 rules for
Appealing Adoption of Desired Future Conditions
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15. 84th Legislative Session Impacts
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16. Interregional Conflict Rulemaking
• Expand the definition to include the situation where a
recommended strategy is located in another region; and that
region has studied the impacts on its economic, agricultural and
natural resources.
• Require a RWPG to send a copy of their IPP to other regions that
contain a location or site of one of the recommended strategies.
• Clarify that a RWPG that objects to a strategy from another region
must notify the EA & provide info on the impacts on the
economic, agricultural or natural resources.
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17. Interregional Conflict Rulemaking
• Require the Board to decide if the issue rises to the level of
having a potential for a substantial adverse effect on the
region.
• Interregional conflicts are attempted to be resolved after IPPs are
submitted to the EA in time for the resolution of the conflict to
be incorporated into the revised & adopted regional water plans.
• Mechanism for handling the situation where an interregional
conflict is not resolved before the statutory deadline for
submittal of the final adopted regional water plans.
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18. @twdb_bech
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19. Texas Water Development Board
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Bech Bruun, Chairman
Bech.Bruun@twdb.texas.gov
512-463-7384
@twdb_bech