Texas Water Conservation Association: Leadership in Water Resources For Texas

Announcement of First Stakeholders Meeting for the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer Study

January 6, 2010

To: Stakeholders of the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer

The Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin invites individuals and organizations interested in the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer to participate in the kick-off meeting of the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer Study. This meeting will be held January 28, 2010 from 1:00 – 5:00 pm in the Big Tex Auditorium at the Commons Conference Center at the J. Jake Pickle Research Campus in Austin, Texas. For directions to the meeting facilities, see http://www.utexas.edu/commons/maps/index.html.

If you would like more information about the January 28 meeting or subsequent stakeholder meetings, or want to receive future communications about the status of the Carrizo Wilcox Study, you are encouraged to visit our website at http://www.beg.utexas.edu/cswr/aquiferstudy/.

Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer Study Overview

The 81st Texas Legislature directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to "conduct a study of the characteristics and impacts on groundwater planning in the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer." (General Appropriations Act, Article VI, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Rider 36) In order to accomplish the legislative intent of this study, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has entered into a research contract with the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin to collect and review a wide variety of information, develop datasets and conduct a series of analyses regarding current activities related to groundwater management of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in Texas. This study will involve significant stakeholder input to a number of questions that are posed in the scope of work for this study. In particular, the study will seek to understand:

  1. the quality and quantity of scientific information that has been utilized by groundwater conservation districts that manage the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer,
  2. the compatibility of different management approaches currently in place for the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, and
  3. predominant groundwater management and protection issues and concerns from stakeholders of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer.

The complete scope of work for this study will be posted on the website as soon as it is available. Announcements of upcoming stakeholder meetings, stakeholder surveys, interim, draft, and final reports will be posted and maintained on this web page.

January 28, 2010 Meeting Agenda

  1. Welcome and introductions of research team
  2. Detailed overview of scope of work for study
  3. Explanation of survey instruments to be used to collect information for the study from groundwater conservation districts and interested stakeholders
  4. Groundwater conservation districts and interested stakeholders will be given the opportunity to provide input to the research team regarding any predominant groundwater management and protection issues and concerns