Ruby Ranch Water Supply Corporation

New Director Precinct boundaries that extend representation into the Shared Territory annexed in response to House Bill 3405 were finalized at the May 26, 2016 Board meeting after extensive research, a public hearing, consideration of numerous public comments, and Board deliberation. The precincts extend into the shared territory in Hays County and group communities of interests and their common sources of water supply.  Very generally, there are two City of Austin urban precincts, one I-35 corridor urban precinct (with combined surface and groundwater supplies), and two rural precincts (one primarily Edwards Aquifer users, one primarily Trinity Aquifer users).

The Board resolution, interactive map with address search and additional information are now available online through the Redistricting Spotlight on the home page.

The District is a voting member of Groundwater Management Area (GMA) 10 which is responsible for setting the collective groundwater management goals for the GMA’s aquifers including the Edwards Aquifer and the down dip potions of the Trinity Aquifer.  As a voting member, the District has been actively involved in setting this second round of Desired Future Conditions (DFCs) which are planning goals describing the future aquifer condition that all member Districts will manage to preserve.  The “proposed” DFCs were approved by the GMA on March 14, 2014 and a public hearing was held by the District on May 26th to solicit public input.

Draft chapters of the explanatory report describing factors considered in setting the DFCs including a detailed technical analysis of proposed pumping from the Trinity Aquifer in Hays County were provided as supporting documents for the hearing.  Interested parties are encouraged to provide input on the proposed DFCs during the public comment period which remains open until close of business on June 20, 2016.  More information on the proposed DFCs is available at the Board Meeting Announcement Spotlight on the District’s website.

Each summer, 13 water-related agencies in Central Texas combine forces to host Groundwater to the Gulf: A summer institute for educators.  50 lucky teachers join us to tour the local water science hot spots in Central Texas… for FREE.

It is always a packed agenda.  Among many other things, this year’s teachers will go caving at the LBJ Wildflower Center, canoeing on Barton Creel (weather permitting), explore the Highland Lakes and Dams exhibit at LCRA’s Redbud Center, hike the Canyon Lake Gorge, and go for a glass bottom boat tour of Aquarena Springs.  At each field trip site, experts will discuss local water issues, research, and classroom activities to bring this experience back to students.

Space is limited and sign-up is on a first-come basis.  Alumni from Groundwater to the Gulf trainings can reserve a slot for Day 3 (which will change venue and topics each year) if space is available.  It’s a great way to keep skills fresh and network with other water-science teachers!

This year’s Institute will be June 21-23, 2016.  The Colorado River Alliance hosts the registration and information page.  Find out more at Groundwater to the Gulf.  Hope to see you there!

At 4:00 pm on May 31, 2016, the water level in the Lovelady well rose above a previous peak level from April 25, 2003. This level of 536.2 ft msl (above mean sea level) was the second highest water level measured in the Lovelady well. The highest level ever measured in the well was on June 7, 1992 with a level of 546.1 ft. Drought conditions for the aquifer are considered to be when the water level drops below 478.4 ft.

Flow conditions at Barton Springs are similarly high. Flooding of Barton Springs pool, due to storm events, makes measurement of flow difficult. However, the current estimate of flow from Barton Springs was reported as 117 cfs (cubic feet per second) by USGS.  Average flows from Barton Springs are 53 cfs.  The District declares drought when Barton Springs flow drops below 38 cfs.

The aquifer was still in drought in November 2014 when, owing to El Nino conditions and high rainfall in September and November, water levels started rising. Other than a dry summer of 2015, water levels have continued to rise to where they are now. For the past 13 months, the District weather station has measured a total of 71.3 inches of rain compared to average rainfall of 38 inches.  Rainfall at Camp Mabry for these 13 months has totalled 65.8 inches.

Onion Creek, which is a major contributor of recharge to the aquifer, has been flowing continuously since October 30, 2015.  Sustained flow in the creeks will cause water levels to continue rising. With the recently reported end to El Nino, drier conditions might be what to expect in the near future. But, with the currently high aquifer levels, drought conditions for the aquifer are not likely to occur before the end of 2016.

Each year, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, in collaboration with our permittees, offers scholarships for 2 different age groups.  With help from Creedmoor Maha Water Supply, Texas Lehigh Cement Company, and Centex Materials, we were able to award 7 summer camp scholarships for Texas State University’s Aquatic Science Adventure Camp and one college scholarship.

This year’s winner of the $2,500 college Kent Butler Memorial Groundwater Stewardship Scholarship was Eliza Cain of the Liberal Arts and Science Academy for her essay titled “Past, Present, and Future of Texas Groundwater Law.”

The winners of the summer camp scholarships were :

Congraulations to all our winners!  Keep in touch and do great things!

The District uses two drought triggers to manage pumping and coordinate conservation.

10-day avg flow:  116 cfs

Water level:  536ft above msl

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The graph shows the groundwater level elevation at the Lovelady monitor well from 1991 to the present. The Lovelady well is one of the District’s drought index wells (in addition to flow at Barton Springs). The graph illustrates that over the past two decades there have been dramatic peaks and critical lows. Due to the recent wetter-than normal rainfall in the region, the groundwater-level elevation in the Lovelady well has reached 531.8 ft-msl. This elevation is well above the average of 491.7 ft-msl. The current levels are similar to peak measurements taken at Lovelady 11 years ago in May of 2005 (531.5 ft-msl), and higher than levels reached in 2007 (the 3rd wettest year on record for the region). Barton Springs is also flowing at very high rates of greater than100 cubic feet per second (cfs), also above it’s average levels of ~53 cfs.

Climatologists attribute the wet conditions to a surprisingly strong El Niño phenomenon in 2015-16, which has already delivered 11 inches of rainfall this year—in addition to the high rainfall in 2015. Only time will tell if the stronger phenomenon this year will continue the trend of increasing Lovelady measurements beyond 2005 levels.

All this is good news for the aquifer as we enter into our normal hot and dry summer period. Conditions are high enough that we won’t likely approach significant drought conditions in 2016. However, after the creeks stop flowing, we know water levels will begin their usual decline.

This year’s Well Water Checkup and Ask-An-Expert Open House was a great success.  District staff screened 58 well water samples from Edwards and Trinity wells for nitrate, salinity, pH, and bacteria.

There were a large number of well samples that came back positive for bacteria.  This could be due to the exceptionally wet winter and spring.  Runoff from rain events can wash bacteria from the surface into the groundwater system.  Because the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers recharge so quickly, the District recommends well owners use basic treatment for drinking water (such as a filter and UV light) if there are any concerns about water quality.

Some of the samples analyzed did contain detectable quantities of nitrate, but all were below the maximum concentration of 10 parts per million (ppm) deemed acceptable for drinking water by the EPA. All nitrite results were below the EPA standard of 1 ppm.

Total dissolved solids (TDS) in water is analogous to salinity.  Edwards Aquifer wells traditionally have TDS values between 250-400 ppm;  Trinity Aquifer wells have higher variability and generally range from 500-1600 ppm.

Results from this Well Water Checkup are a good estimate of general water quality in your well.  If you ever notice a change in color, taste, or smell, you should have your well water analyzed by an accredited lab. A list of local water quality labs and the District Well Owner Guide is available here.

At the April 28th Board Meeting, the District Board of Directors took action to adopt rules changes. The rule making process was formally initiated in January 2016 as part of an ongoing effort to implement House Bill 3405, which  annexed new area in Hays County, and to better equip the District to manage prospective large-scale Trinity Aquifer water projects. There was a 20-day public comment period to provide an opportunity for rule review and to submit comments or formal protests on the proposed rules.  A public hearing was held on March 24th and the Board delayed action on adoption of the rules to consider the entire set of comments received from the public. The proposed rule changes were further modified to address the public comments submitted and to better clarify the process and intent of the rules.

The recently adopted rules focus overall on:

• Management strategies that will protect existing wells and preserve the long-term availability of water supplies from the Trinity Aquifer;
• Aquifer test, notice, and monitoring requirements for large-scale groundwater projects; and
• Establishing a policy and permitting framework for a science-based evaluation of the potential for unreasonable impacts to existing wells and the aquifer and requirements to avoid or mitigate for such impacts.

Once finalized, the adopted rules will be available on the District’s website along with the District’s formal Response to Comments (RTC) here.

The District’s territory was expanded on June 19, 2015 through the passage of House Bill 3405 and well owners with an existing nonexempt use were immediately provided a 3-month period to apply for a Temporary Permit. The Temporary Permits were issued in September and October and provided well owners with an interim authorization to operate a well prior to conversion to a Regular Historical Production Permit.

At the April 28th Board Meeting, the District Board of Directors held a public hearing to approve 14 of the Temporary Permits for conversion to Regular Production Permits.  There was a 20-day public comment period to provide an opportunity to submit comments or formal protests on proposed approval of the permit conversions. No comments were received and the Board approved all 14 permits as Historical Production Permits (13 Trinity, 1 Austin Chalk).

The following is the list of the approved Permits

Last year’s legislation (House Bill 3405) extended the District’s boundary to include shared territory with the Edwards Aquifer Authority in Hays County.  To allow fair representation, the Board must redistrict the existing five precincts to include this new area. They have begun the process and selected several options for public comment. The comment period began at the April 28th Board meeting.  Written comments will be accepted until close of business May 9.  Oral comments can be made at the May 12 Board meeting.

Illustrative Plans and an overview of the process are available here.

Aquifer Status

Checkup Recap

Rule Changes Approved

TCEQ Rule Petition

Permitting Update

Redistricting Process

Upcoming Events

The District uses two drought triggers to manage pumping and coordinate conservation.

10-day avg flow:  107 cfs

Water level:  532ft above msl

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