Strategic Plan Review

Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) Work Session Summary September 2017

I. Issues Facing the Edwards Aquifer Authority. During a teambuilding exercise, the Board of Directors was asked what is the most important issue facing the EAA. The responses are illustrated below. • Base conversion. • Understanding the agency through educational initiatives. • Long term augmentation of resources. • Abandoned wells. • Diversity issues (mentioned by two different Directors). • Establishing what are the main things to address. • Recharge. • Water quality. • Establishing an agency focus (mentioned by two different Directors). • Point source solutions. • Teamwork among the Board of Directors. • Mission identification. II. Visioning. The General Manager facilitated the Board of Directors through an initial visioning exercise aimed at focusing the agency on a 15-20 year horizon. Important comments emerging from the discussion are annotated below. • The EAA should be lead agency relative to the water resource in the region. As such, it should be in the middle of discussions and should link itself to other water-related entities. An example of EAA linking the spokes of a wheel was provided to emphasize the agency’s role in the future. • The most important internal and external challenges regarding the EAA need to be identified and prioritized for addressment. • As the agency strategically plans for the next 20 years, the prudent use of limited resources must be factored in when developing initiatives. • Need to clarify issues of water quality through use of scientific information and data. • Keep the vision statement simple. • It may be necessary to clarify the agency rules and what are the agency’s responsibilities. • The EAA should do a better job of letting the public know what water issues the agency is researching and studying. • Assess the current agency roles and outline what roles will be important in the future. The EAA should become more proactive.

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