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May 26, 2009

Groundwater districts agree to hire temp hydrologist

By Kelly Young

kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com

During a joint meeting Tuesday morning in Nacogdoches, the five groundwater conservation districts in Groundwater Management Area 11 decided to hire a hydrologist for the purpose of setting the Desired Future Conditions for all aquifers within the region.

Each of the state’s 16 GMAs have until September 2010 to complete their conditions.

General Manager Roy Rodgers of the Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District — which comprises Anderson, Cherokee and Henderson counties — said each of the GMA’s groundwater conservation districts with the ability to charge fees will be contributing to the cost of the hydrologist.

“We are guessing it is going to cost in the neighborhood of $15,000 to $30,000 to hire a hydrologist to do this work for us, and our district is going to be paying a pro-rated share of that,” Rodgers said. “Because we have three counties, we are probably going to have to pay between $10,000 and $12,000, and the district has approved spending up to $15,000.”

The districts that make up GMA 11 have already committed $37,500 to the cost of hiring an expert. According to Rodgers, he is working on the request for proposals right now, and he anticipates it to be ready to be sent by next week. He then expects the interested hydrologists to respond within the next two weeks.

As soon as the proposals are all in, the districts will call another joint meeting to select a vendor and approve the contract.

If a GMA is unable to complete its DFCs by the September 2010 deadline, the Texas Water Development Board will set the conditions for them without input from the constituent districts. Rodgers said he is confident GMA 11 will have its work done on time.

At Tuesday’s meeting the districts also decided to each write a letter to TWDB and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, requesting the creation of the East Texas Priority Groundwater Management Area, which would include the cities of Tyler, Longview and Marshall — all of which are currently unprotected areas.

The action would reverse a previous decision by TWDB in 2004 and would force the affected counties into a groundwater conservation district. Rodgers said even if the state decides to take the action proposed by the districts, it is unlikely any change would be made in the next two or three years.

NTVGCD held a procedural meeting Thursday afternoon for the purpose of clearing up some of the district’s business. At the meeting, the directors decided to schedule a public hearing just prior to their next meeting, June 18. The hearing will be at 1:30 p.m. for input regarding the district’s management plan, which must be reviewed each year and readopted every five years.

According to Rodgers, the document will be altered this year due to changes to the Texas Water Code which must be included. A copy of the document will be available for public viewing at www.NTVGCD.org once the proposed changes have been finalized.

The board also took time to acknowledge the contributions of Cindy Day to the district’s educational outreach efforts. In her first year on the job, Day entered nearly all of the district’s 5th grade classes and taught the kids about aquifers and groundwater conservation.

“During the 2008-2009 school year, Cindy made our presentation to 1,445 5th graders, and she hit almost all of the classes in all three counties despite only starting in December. We haven’t gotten feedback from all the schools, but the feedback we have gotten has been nothing but positive,” Rodgers said. “I expected her to do about a third of what she did in her first year, and our plan is to hire her again and have her do the same thing again next year to a new crop of 5th graders. She really did a great job.”

District President Bart Bauer said during the meeting that NTVGCD should present Day with a certificate, plaque or some other token of their appreciation, and the other directors all agreed. Day will be invited to the June 18 meeting in order to be recognized by the board.

In other business the board approved:

• the minutes from previous meetings;

• the independent financial audit for Fiscal Year 2008, as conducted by Hugh Goodpasture, CPA; and

• paying the bills.

The Neches and Trinity Valley Groundwater Conservation District’s board of directors meets as needed at 1:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at their offices at 212 S. Main St. in Jacksonville. The public is invited to attend all meetings.

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