NewsDrop-June-2024

DISCHINGER-BREHMER CONSERVATION EASEMENT ACQUISITION

By: Thomas Marsalia , EAA Aquifer Sustainability Manager

Total protected acres through conservation programs in the Edwards Aquifer region by county. (As of October 2023)

The 1,200-acre property known as the Dischinger-Brehmer Ranch has been in the owners’ family since 1851 and is now an EAC conser vation easement. This brings the total area of land the EAA and EAC have contributed to conserving to over 8,200 acres. Through an interlocal agreement with the City of San Antonio, EAA staff also conduct monitoring on over 182,000 acres of land held in the City’s Edwards Aquifer Protection Program. ACROSS THE EDWARDS AQUIFER REGION In 2021, the Edwards Aquifer Authority and Microsoft initiated the process of securing a conservation easement located in Comal County on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone that was finalized in 2024 and is held by the Edwards Aquifer Conservancy. AN OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK ON CONSERVATION EASEMENTS

Centrally located in Comal County, the conservation easement will protect the natural conditions of the property such as karst features, springs, streams and diverse vegetation by limiting development that can occur on the prop erty, which will ensure the quality and quantity of recharge contributed to the aquifer on the ranch will be maintained to historic levels.

This acquisition will protect approximately 0.6 acre-feet of recharge per acre and has potential in the future to further enhance the quality and quantity of recharge occurring on the property through beneficial land management practices. This is a major milestone in the EAA’s history and is an important aspect to fulfilling part of the EAA mission of protecting and enhancing the Edwards Aquifer system.

14

15