Plum Creek Conservation District

PLUM CREEKCONSERVATION
DISTRICTN E W S L E T T E R
V O L U M E

1N U M B E R

92 0 1 7

HCPUA PERMIT APPROVED
After two years in the making, beginning in 2015, the Plum Creek Conservation District (PCCD)INSIDE THISISSUE:

Board of Directors approved a permit for two public water supply wells to produce and transport
up to a total of 4,700 acre feet of water per year to the members of the Hays Caldwell PublicUtility Agency (HCPUA). HCPUA was created by legislation back in 2007 for the purpose ofHCPUA Permit
Approved
Page 1resolving long term water needs for its members (San Marcos, Kyle, Buda, and Canyon Regional
Water Authority). Below is a map showing the anticipated location of the wells, storage facilities,and pipeline. A major consideration involved in the permitting process was the requirement of aWater Levels
2016/2017
Page 2

mitigation plan. The plan would allow PCCD landowners with registered wells a vehicle toaddress any adverse water supply impacts possibly due to HCPUA pumping. In addition, theinstallation of two monitoring wells will be required in order to monitor Desired Future

GMA 13 Adopts
DFCs
Page 2Condition (DFC) compliance and assist with any mitigation cases. One of the requirements
for mitigation eligibility is the registration of one’s well before HCPUA’s #1 well is drilled
and completed. Because a portion of the produced water will be delivered outside of theSite 6 Rehab
Project Update
Page 3EWP Funding for2015 Floods
Page 3District, an export fee will be imposed on a percentage of the permitted groundwater.
HCPUA’s well #1 is scheduled to be online by the year 2023 and HCPUA’s #2 well by 2030.

2016/ 2017 Water Levels
PAGE2The table below shows water levels for 9 wells that were measured in the Winter & Spring of 2016/2017,
respectively, along with their corresponding lowest recorded water level. If you are interested in findingout the water level in your well and how it compares to other wells in the area, contact us to schedule atime to measure your well. A complete listing of PCCD water levels can be found on our website atwww.pccd.org
Well

Winter 2016/2017 Levels

Lowest Recorded LevelKosarek- 46.1- 50.8Larsen- 18.90- 22.8

Lipscomb- 86.35- 93.92016/2017

Lockhart #8- 79.1- 108.0- 65.20- 71.00

Water Levels

McCormick #2
McCormick #1- 70.50- 71.75

Collier- 63.95- 70.66712111- 49.77- 64.4Wells- 79.95- 90.35

GMA 13 approves DFCs
After holding multiple hearings on the proposed Desired Future Conditions (DFCs), Groundwater
Management Area (GMA) 13 members* adopted, by resolution, the DFCs (see DFCs listedbelow) at its November 21, 2016 meeting.
These adopted DFCs have been sent, along with an explanatory report, to the Texas WaterDevelopment Board (TWDB) for “administratively complete” determination. Following meeting
the TWDB “administratively complete” requirements, the DFCs will be returned to each district of
GMA 13 for approval. Once approved, each district is required to incorporate the DFCs into their
GMA 13rules and management plan.

Approves DFCs

GMA 13’s DFCs focus on two particular aspects. One, they look at the average water level draw
down for all of the designated aquifers (Wilcox, Carrizo, Weches, Sparta, and Queen City) within
GMA 13, and secondly, they look at the percentage of the aquifers’ saturated thicknesses foroutcrop (unconfined) areas. A major DFC compliance aspect will be to develop a network ofmonitoring wells both in outcrop areas, as well as down dip (confined) portions of the aquifers.
* GMA 13: Plum Creek Conservation District, Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District, Uvalde County Underground Water Conservation District, Evergreen
Groundwater Conservation District, Wintergarden Groundwater Conservation District, McMullen County groundwater Conservation District, Guadalupe County Groundwater
Conservation District and Medina County Groundwater Conservation District.

GMA 13 DFCs
The first proposed desired future condition for the Carrizo-Wilcox, Queen City and Sparta aquifers
in Groundwater Management Area 13 is that 75 percent of the saturated thickness in the outcrop at
the end of 2012 remains in 2070. This desired future condition is considered feasible despite model
predictions to the contrary as detailed in GMA 13 Technical Memorandum 16-08.
In addition, a secondary proposed desired future condition for the Carrizo-Wilcox, Queen City, andSparta aquifers in Groundwater Management Area 13 is an average drawdown of 48 feet for all ofGMA 13. The drawdown is calculated from the end of 2012 conditions to the year 2070. This desired
future condition is consistent with Scenario 9 as detailed in GMA 13 Technical Memorandum 16-01
and GMA 13 Technical Memorandum 16-08.

PAGE

Site 6 Rehab Project Update
Steady progress is ongoing in the rehabilitation of PCCD’s Site 6 dam with the projected completion
date to occur sometime in the fall of 2017. The project was initiated in order for Site 6 to become compliant with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s regulations that require all “high hazard” dams to be upgraded in order to withstand a Probable Maximum Flood( PMF) event. The Site 6
rehabilitation project, being constructed by Archer Western, involves a unique labyrinth weir design.
The primary function of a labyrinth weir is to allow for the release of waters during criticalflood stages. Its labyrinth walls,
whicharelaidoutinan“accordion” type pattern, take upless space compared to an auxiliary spillway of a traditional
earthen dam. Because Site 6 hadspace limitations on account ofbeing virtually surroundedon

all 3 sides by roads, houses andbusinesses, a labyrinth weir design was chosen by the engineers. In addition to Site 6, four

The initial construction of site 6’s labyrinth weir walls.

other “high hazard” dams (Sites 10, 12, 21 and 28) are being considered for rehabilitation.

EWP Funding for 2015 Floods
Due to the flooding that occurred back in 2015 and the subsequent damage that resulted to Plum Creek
Conservation District’s (PCCD) dams, the District has applied for flood relief funding through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program. The
program is designed to help people and conserve natural resources by relieving imminent hazards to lifeand property caused by floods and other natural occurrences. With the EWP program
NRCS financially bears up to 75% percent of
the construction costs, while sponsors, suchas PCCD, are responsible for the remaining
portion. PCCD has submitted EWPs for 6
dams (sites 2, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, and 14) thatrequest the assistance for debris removal anderosional damage repair. The District has recently published bid notices for their EWP
projects and anticipates work beginning
hopefully by June.

Significant erosional damage along the face of the upstream embankment for Site 12 following
the 2015 flood .

3