Ruby Ranch Water Supply Corporation

Ruby Ranch Water Supply Corporation will hold an open meeting on Thursday, August 14, 2014 at 7:00 P.M., at the Scott Follett Conference Center, 380 East Bartlett, Buda, Hays County, Texas 78610. The meeting agenda may be viewed here

Recent rains have provided some relief from drought conditions, but aquifer levels are continuing to drop again. While the Barton Springs flow has remained above its threshold since mid-May, the Lovelady well fell below its threshold on July 13th. However, at its regular meeting on July 24th, the Board of Directors decided not to declare Stage II Alarm Drought to allow for more time to assess aquifer conditions. That means, without significant rainfall, that the Board will likely declare Stage II Alarm Drought at their regularly scheduled meeting on August 14th.

Permittees should begin making preparations for implementation of their User Drought Contingency Plans (UDCPs). If State II Alarm drought is declared in August, September will be the first full month of declared drought and the District will be assessing compliance with the monthly pumpage limits for September in early October when the monthly pumpage reports are due.

Groundwater users are encouraged to continue to conserve. Water conservation can prolong the time spent out of groundwater drought and protect water levels and springflow at Barton Springs.

Current Aquifer Conditions (7/29/14)

Drought Indicators	Current Conditions	Stage II Alarm Trigger	Stage III Critical Trigger	Stage IV Exceptional Trigger	Emergency Response
Barton Springs Discharge    (10-day avg.)	47 cfs	38 cfs	20 cfs	14 cfs	10 cfs
Lovelady Indicator Well (water level elevation – feet above mean sea level)	476.6 ft-msl	478.4 ft-msl	462.7 ft-msl	457.1 ft-msl	453.4 ft-msl

Click here to view the current District drought poster.

The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is in the process of developing a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP).  The overall goal of the District’s HCP process is to protect the endangered species that rely on the aquifer as habitat while providing a requisite water supply to the people who are dependent on the groundwater resources within the District.

The draft HCP has been developed with input from multiple advisory groups over the course of nearly ten years.  Most recently the Management Advisory Committee–a group of stakeholders including permittees, private landowners, biologists, environmentalists, and local, state, and federal government agencies–has reviewed and provided input into the proposed draft HCP.

At the June 26 Board Meeting, the Board of Directors voted to release the proposed draft HCP and begin the official public comment period.  Comments can be submitted via email, direct mail, or fax until July 25, 2014.  Please send them to:

Email:  bseacd@bseacd.org (include “HCP Public Comment” in subject line)

Direct mail:  BSEACD, re: HCP Public Comment, 1124 Regal Row, Austin, Tx 78748

Fax:  512-282-7016 (include “HCP Public Comment” in subject line)

The draft HCP, history of the HCP development process, and supporting materials can be found online in the Spotlights section of the District home page:  www.bseacd.org.