Region M To Hold Public Comment Session at Dec. 10 Meeting
The Rio Grande Regional Water Planning Group (Region M) is preparing Draft Reports for three special studies currently being performed under the 3rd round, 1st phase of Regional Water Planning. The descriptions of the special studies are as follows:
Task 1: Surface Water Right Management Evaluation
At issue is whether the current water supply management rules and the associated water allocation procedures are appropriate considering that 50 to 60 years from now a substantial portion of the water supply from Amistad and Falcon Reservoirs will be used for municipal purposes, rather than irrigation. It could be that alternative procedures for managing the overall reservoir system water supply and/or for allocating water to the different types of water rights may be more desirable from the standpoint of providing more reliable and equitable supplies of water from the reservoirs for all users. Information contained in the report will include information on how water right conversions from irrigation to municipal uses might be undertaken, and what overall water supply management strategies might be considered by the Regional Planning Group for implementation in order to more effectively use and enhance the available future supply of water from Amistad and Falcon Reservoirs.
Task 2: Classify Irrigation Districts as Water User Groups or Wholesale Water Providers
In the previous rounds of regional planning, water supply and demand analysis were performed for a multitude of Water User Groups (WUGs) in the region including the classification of irrigation water users as a county-wide group (i.e. Irrigation – Cameron County). Utilizing this classification system creates a difficult set of circumstances in which to accurately evaluate irrigation water users. The report will qualify and quantify urbanization and its effects, analyze the existing conveyance system, and revise water supply and demand data for individual Irrigation Districts.
Task 3: Analyze Results of Completed Demonstration Projects
Since the last round of regional planning was complete, a number of demonstration projects have been undertaken. Included in these demonstration projects are two studies that will add substantial information to the regional water plan. First, the Harlingen Irrigation District undertook a comprehensive analysis aimed at evaluating on-farm water conservation. In addition to the on-farm study, a seawater reverse osmosis pilot study is being performed by the Public Utility Board of the City of Brownsville. Seawater desalination was also recommended as a water management strategy in the previous round of regional planning. The report will discuss the results of each project in a manner consistent with the Regional and State Water Plans.
The Draft Reports for the aforementioned tasks will be made available at the Region M Board meeting to be held on December 10, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. In addition, the Draft Reports will be on file at the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council offices. The public will have the opportunity to make comments on the reports at the Region M meeting. In addition, public comments will be received by the planning group for a period of 7 calendar days from the date of the meeting.
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