NewsDrop-Aug_Sept-2025

AQUIFER MANAGEMENT SERVICES

By: Paulina Quinonez Aquifer Science Intern

TEXAS UNIVERSITY COLLABORATIONS AND THE MISSION OF THE EAA AQUIFER ALLIES:

The Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) and its growing partnerships with Texas universities are helping to advance aquifer science research and protect one of our most valuable natural resources: water. Collaborations with the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) have fueled cutting-edge research of the Edwards Aquifer and strengthened partnerships and collaborations within the community. Universities like UTSA and TAMUSA offer a wide range of academic disciplines, including Environmental Science, Geology, and Water Resources Science and Technology. Both undergraduate and graduate students studying these disci plines are eager to engage in environmental research. “This provides the EAA with a unique opportunity to support University research on the aquifer with a field of study that we may never tap into otherwise,” states Jessica Quintanilla, EAA Aquifer Science Research Supervisor.

Currently, the EAA is collaborating on a vast array of research projects, each focusing on a different aspect of aquifer science and natural resource management: • Sr. Geoscientist Gizelle Luevano is teamed up with Professors Walter Den and Pride Abongwa and graduate students from TAMUSA looking at how urbanization might impact the water quality of an aquifer by testing rivers, springs and wells across the Edwards Aquifer region. • Jessica Quintanilla has partnered with Dr. Allision Veach at UTSA and master’s student Abby Doderer to look at microbial DNA analysis of groundwater to understand the variation of microbial characteristics of different aquifer sources.

Today’s students are tomorrow’s water scientists, policy makers, and environmental stewards. “When students are involved early and interested in these topics, it gives me hope they will be future leaders in water conservation and continue the work we do at the EAA with their peers and the scientific community” , says Cozort. Understanding water quality trends, the effect of land management practices on soils, and hydrologic behavior throughout the Edwards Aquifer region helps us make smarter decisions about water use, conservation, and habitat protection. The EAA and university collaborations together are powerful tools for conservation. Together, we are making great strides in advancing aquifer science research to help manage, enhance, and protect the Edwards Aquifer.

• Senior Aquifer Environmental Scientist Jewell Cozort is working with PhD Student Pierce Lynch and Dr. Allison Veach to research how land management strategies such as berms and swales affect the microbial community in soil. • Principal Geoscientist Rebecca Nunu is working with Dr. Yongli Gao and PhD. student Zach Weathers at UTSA to investigate trace elements and radiogenic isotopes to explore connections between the Edwards and Trinity aquifers.

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