NewsDrop-Aug_Sept-2025

GENERAL MANAGER’S MESSAGE

By: Roland Ruiz General Manager

YEARS AGO, WE AT THE EAA IDENTIFIED COLLABORATION AS ONE OF THE CORE VALUES OF OUR ORGANIZATION.

IN OTHER WORDS,WE AGREED THAT COLLABORATION WAS SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO OUR SUCCESS & SOMETHING WE SHOULD ASPIRE TO.

BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN PRACTICAL TERMS TO WHAT WE DO DAY BY DAY?

More than just a feel-good word, collaboration for us means an intentional approach to carrying out our mission by inviting and including people as partners in our work. This includes our employees, our permit holders, businesses, educators and the diverse communities across our region who share a common interest in the long term sustainability of the Edwards Aquifer.

You see highlights of this collaboration in action throughout this edition of the News Drop. This includes: our work to educate users of the aquifer on how they can best conserve and protect the resource; our cooperation with partners in the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan so that the aquifer’s two major spring systems remain capable of sustaining threatened and endangered species habitats as required by federal law; and working together with businesses on the recharge zone to maintain appropriate standards to safeguard the aquifer from contamination. And these are just a few examples.

The lesson we’ve learned about carrying out our mission into the future is this: the more the merrier. The more people we can engage – through science, education, regulation, conservation and, ultimately, participation – the more likely we are to effectively manage, enhance and protect the Edwards Aquifer.

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