NewsDrop-June-2024

GENERAL MANAGER’S MESSAGE

By: Roland Ruiz General Manager

THESE THREE WORDS - SIMPLE, YET COMPLEX IN THEIR DEPTH AND BREADTH OF MEANING -- HAVE DEPICTED OUR MISSION FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS. MANAGE. ENHANCE. PROTECT.

CLEARLY, THESE WORDS REMAIN AS RELEVANT TO OUR FUTURE AS THEY ARE FOUNDATIONAL TO OUR PAST. THEY GIVE BOTH STABILITY AND SYMMETRY TO A WELL-ESTABLISHED BUT EVOLVING MISSION TO MANAGE, ENHANCE AND PROTECT THE EDWARDS AQUIFER SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE EMBRACE THE WORK BEFORE US AS A COMMUNITY AND DO IT TOGETHER.

PROTECT. The word protect most directly takes aim

ENHANCE. This word stems from the longstanding idea that we can enhance the recharge of the Edwards Aquifer to bolster the quantity and safeguard the quality of water in the aquifer. This includes engineered structures such as recharge dams as well as nature-based methods including land conservation and soil restoration practices to improve the water-holding capacity of lands in the watershed of the aquifer. We also enhance by building greater understanding and appreci ation of the aquifer among the public through education and outreach programming. These non-regulatory approaches, when matched with regulatory management practices, strengthen the overall resilience of the aquifer over time.

at preserving the quality of water in the aquifer by preventing its pollution. This includes protective standards for well construction, which also incor porates efforts to identify and properly close dete riorated or abandoned wells that serve as potential conduits for contaminants from the surface to reach the aquifer water table. There are also rules requiring strict measures that complement state requirements for storing regulated substances on the recharge zone to the aquifer and report ing spills when they occur. Efforts to protect also encompass non-regulatory methods. Examples include the deployment of technology and training for first responders who tend to fires and/or spills of hazardous materials on the recharge zone, and collaboration with other agencies to monitor and report critical issues as they arise.

MANAGE. At its most plain interpretation, to manage speaks to regulating use of the aquifer through rules that require wells to be metered, water to be allocated by permits, and pumping to be restricted during droughts. However, the con cept of manage has also come to include other non-regulatory approaches that serve as tools to help sustain the aquifer. These include conser vation grants, market-based conservation and incentivized forbearance programs, and cloud seeding efforts to help rain clouds produce more water, to name a few.

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