RWPG B Scope of Services

Senate Bill 1, as passed by the 75^th Texas Legislature, requires that a Regional Water Plan be developed for each county in the state prior to September 1, 2000; the plans are to be updated every five years, thereafter. Impacting every person living in Texas, Senate Bill 1 affords all interested parties the opportunity to participate in the development of their local Water Plan which will be included as a component of the State's comprehensive Water Plan. The Legislature concluded that the water resource planning and management could best be accomplished beginning at the local community level and progressing to the state level.

Senate Bill 1 requires that the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) promulgate rules for the development of local Regional Water Planning Boards to facilitate orderly development of local Water Plans throughout sections of the state designated as Regional Water Planning Areas. The TWDB Rules require that the local water planning boards be comprised of members elected from the regional planning area and provide adequate representation of the overall interest of the regional area.

Seventeen persons have been elected and confirmed by the TWDB to represent eleven selected interest groups, comprising a general cross representation of the 10-county area. The Regional Water Planning Board for Area B was officially organized on March 30, 1998. Charged with the responsibility of developing a Regional Water Plan in accordance with the directives of Senate Bill 1 under the TWDB's Rules and Regulations, it is the intent of this Board to represent the needs of the local areas.

The responsibility of the Regional Water Planning Board is to solicit input from the planning area to identify issues that need to be included in the Water Plan Scope of Work and prepare a Scope of Work for the development of a Comprehensive Water Plan for Area B. The solicitation was concluded on June 9, 1998 with a public hearing held to receive oral and written comments from the general public and a detailed Scope of Work prepared hereinafter referred to as Phase II.

The Regional Water Planning Board selected the Red River Authority of Texas as its designated political subdivision to contract with the TWDB for funding of Phase I (planning) and Phase II (development) of the Regional Water Plan for Area B. It is the intent of the Red River Authority of Texas to solicit a professional consultant for assistance with the completion of the Phase II in accordance with 31 TAC §357.4 §357.14 of the TWDB Rules.

The purpose of this Scope of Services is to define the level of detail to which the Authority and a selected professional consultant will accomplish Phase II Scope of Work for the development of a Regional Water Plan for Planning Area B by September 1, 2000.

II. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA

The State of Texas was divided into 16 Regional Planning Areas by the TWDB. The Regional Planning Area that will be the focus of this study is referred to as Regional Water Planning Area B. Area B consists of a ten-county area which includes Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cottle, Foard, Hardeman, King, Montague, Wichita, Wilbarger and a portion of Young County that encompasses the City of Olney. The planning area contains approximately 8,571 square miles with a total estimated 1996 population of 203,263. The planning area utilizes approximately 117.3 million gallons per day of the available surface and groundwater resources for all combined purposes. Refer to Figure 1 for geographical location and reference of the planning area.

III. WORK PLAN SCOPE

The development of this Regional Water Plan is designed to be built from 16 regional planning areas that will be rolled into a single State Water Plan. Where the intent is to produce a usable water resource management tool, the plan must be accessible to the public and participating entities. The key objectives required to be addressed in the regional plans include:

· Identification and evaluation of current and projected water resource needs of the local planning area;

· Current and projected water uses prepared by use category for every city, town and rural community within each county of the designated planning area;

· A comparative assessment of the total water uses to current available supplies conducted to determine the adequacy of the water resource needs over the short-term (0-30 years) and long-term (30-50 years) planning horizons;

· Local and regional water resource management strategies evaluated to recommend alternatives as may be needed to meet future water use requirements, and determine the impact of these strategies upon local economic and social sectors in the event that water resource needs of the local areas are not met;

· Water quality and environmental issues within the regional planning area that may impact the development or reclamation of water resources to meet current and future needs identified and addressed;

· Assist cities and communities within the planning area in the development of drought management and conservation plans that will comply with Senate Bill 1 requirements; and

· Identify and recommend issues concerning public interest that should be addressed in the plan, or provisions that should be considered for inclusion in the plan for the protection of natural resources and the public's rights to use them.

This following scope of work is intended to present the primary objective of each task, resources to complete each task, individual task outputs, associated budget by task, assignment of responsibility for task completion, and expected time needed to fulfill the requirements of the TWDB Rules (31 TAC §357.7 - §357.14) for producing a comprehensive water plan document for Planning Area B by September 1, 2000.

The tasks described herein shall be completed utilizing two project teams each assuming various levels of assigned responsibility for task completion. Each team will function within labor categories of Project Director, Project Manager, Project Engineer/Scientist, Technicians and Secretarial/Clerical depending on the level of expertise needed to successfully complete the task within the allotted time and budget.

An agreed hourly rate is established for each labor category and management team to be utilized based on the level of expertise or responsibility needed to accomplish each task. Time in increments as low as one quarter hour will be logged daily on time sheets by date, person, project, labor category, task and description of the activity performed, including travel mileage and per diem, and reported monthly. This same procedure will be required of any professional consultant employed on the project.

The Authority proposes to utilize a computer assisted approach throughout the planning process and participate in the collection, management, analysis and dissemination of all water resource data obtained from the TWDB, TNRCC, TPWD, NRCS, USGS, USEPA, participating local entities, and other sources. New data collected will be analyzed in correlation with current and historical data to develop a knowledge base for continued maintenance, periodical update and presenting information electronically by means of the Internet and in printed form. All data will be organized by county, water use entity, use category and source within the region. Information will be compiled, stored and managed digitally within relational database structures that utilize a common SQL language. GIS datafiles and data layers will be prepared by topical theme for geographical reference and analysis.

The Authority proposes to utilize outside contractual services to provide technical and scientific expertise in areas above or beyond the Authority's present capabilities to insure compliance with the directives of TWDB Rules 31 TAC §357.7 - §357.14 and maintain project momentum throughout the development of the Regional Water Plan.

IV. DESCRIPTION OF TASKS

TASK 1.0 Program Administration [§357.1-.14]

The objective of this task is to identify and track administrative cost as they relate to the amount of time and materials expended developing the Regional Water Plan for Area B. Since administration occurs as a result of performing each task enumerated and described herein, cost categories for tracking purposes will include: personnel costs, fringe benefits, travel costs, supplies, equipment usage, contractual, other supply and materials and indirect cost directly associated with the Regional Water Plan development. The administrative items included in the development of the Regional Water Plan are as follows:

Prepare and distribute public notices of meetings;

Prepare and distribute materials for RWPG-B board meetings;

Participate in TWDB conference calls and work group meetings;

Prepare materials for regional conservation and drought contingency plan workshops;

Prepare quarterly progress reports and vouchers for TWDB filing;

General data processing and management relevant to tasks progress;

Prepare monthly financial statements for RWPG-B membership and TWDB;

Manage and monitor subcontractors engaged in development of RWP;

Coordinate with other Regional Water Planning Groups;

Prepare an approved Indirect Cost Plan;

Prepare and administer a Cost-Sharing Plan for funding the local match; and

Prepare minutes of public meetings and hearing.

Task Deliverables:

Quarterly progress reports and payment vouchers for submission to the TWDB;

Copies of public notices of meetings;

Copies of minutes of all public meetings held;

Financial statements of fiscal activities with budgeted versus actual;

Appropriate documentation of all expenditures; and

Copies of subcontractors progress reports.

TASK 2.0 Public Participation and Education [§357.1 - §357.14]

The objective of this task is to develop public input and identify important issues for the Regional Water Plan for Area B. A strategy will be developed for gaining public input and participation in the development of key aspects of the water plan. It is anticipated that the RWPG Board will provide significant input regarding the approach to be taken to obtain public representation. The strategy will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Public meetings and forums to evaluate and rank prioritized resource management issues;

Establish focus groups to obtain input from specific areas of interest;

Produce and distribute quarterly newsletters focused on providing the results of professional evaluations of sensitive environmental and water quality issues;

Development and maintenance of an RWPG-B Internet website for access to published information;

Prepare and distribute a regional issues report on water resource management strategies being considered for development during the course of study;

Provide educational opportunities to the public regarding water resource conservation and management issues within the region;

Provide presentations to civic organizations, educational institutions and public forums in an effort to gain public exposure for new or improved resource management strategies;

Introduce water resource education to the general public through mass media presentations and promotional activities; and

Disseminate information to the TWDB, public and other participating agencies.

From surveys taken during the scope development and during the course of study, local and regional water resource issues will be prioritized for input from the public in all interest categories concerning:

Inadequate water supplies;

Inadequate facilities to enable the utilization of existing supplies;

Water quality concerns that impact public utilities of existing and potential supplies;

Environmental concerns associated with supply development or utilization;

Financial feasibility of proposed plans; and

Political feasibility of proposed plans.

Public meetings will be sponsored by the RWPG-B Board to allow the public to participate in the prioritization process with the goal of developing an enhanced understanding of the resource management issues facing the regional planning area.

A list of each issue identified will be prepared for review by the RWPG-B Board for presentation to the public. In the event more issues are identified than time or available funding will permit, a special public meeting will be conducted to include all participants in the process of prioritization.

Only issues that have been documented and based on sufficiently reliable and accurate information and within the limits of this scope of this regional water planning effort will be addressed. All other issues brought to the attention of the board will be deferred to a later planning phase for investigation.

The first step in the prioritization process will be to segregate the issues into three categories:

Issues where it is possible to refine the current information into the regional water planning effort;

Issues that should be addressed by the current planning effort; and

Issues that should not be addressed.

Task Deliverables:

A public participation and education plan for Area B;

A quarterly newsletter for distribution to each water use entity within the region; other RWPGs, other state agencies and interested parties;

Conduct at least five public forums designed to educate the public water supplier and the general public on water resource management and conservation strategies;

A list of prioritized issues to be addressed in the planning effort; and

Identification and rationale for issues not included in the planning effort.

TASK 3.0 Prepare Description of Regional Planning Area [§357.7(a)(1)]

The objective of this task is to gather and organize information about Region B and create a description of relevant information about the water supply in the area. The data gathered in this task will be organized into relational database files and GIS thematic map layers for use not only in developing this regional water supply plan, but also for future regional planning efforts. The database and GIS files will, once the planning process is complete, be archived and made available to the public. The description of the area will follow guidelines provided in 31 TAC §357.7(a). The information used in this task will include:

A database of historical water use by water rights provided by TNRCC;

Annual water use surveys and information provided by TWDB and TNRCC;

Surveys of individual water users and providers conducted by the Red River Authority of Texas;

Certificates of adjudication, water rights permits, or certified filings for major water rights;

Water supply contracts, option agreements, and subordination agreements;

Socio-economic data from the TAMU State Data Center;

Land use information from TWDB and other sources;

Geographic, geologic and hydrologic data from the USGS, Bureau of Economic Geology and other sources;

Climatologic data from NCDC, TWDB and other sources;

List of endangered and threatened species in Region B and the habitats of those species;

Environmental or cultural information such as inventories of wetlands, prime farmlands, archeological sites, and others; and

Other relevant information.

The description of Region B will include the following information:

Description of major water suppliers and their service areas;

Summaries of current water use by type, provider and source;

A description of water quality problems identified by TWDB, TNRCC, TPWD, and the EPA, including the parameters that exceed water quality standards, possible sources of the water quality problem, and the impact of the water quality problem on public health, treatment costs, or agricultural yields;

Sources of groundwater and surface water, including major and minor aquifers, springs, reservoirs, and run-of-the-river water rights;

Major demand centers, including cities, rural water districts, major industrial users, and agricultural areas;

Agricultural resources of the region, including but not limited to types of crops, irrigation methods, and economic benefits to the region;

Economically valuable natural resources of the region, including but not limited to hydrocarbons and other minerals, fisheries, and recreational resources;

Natural resources whose primary benefit is ecological, for example, habitat for endangered or threatened species;

Social and economic aspects of the region, including information on current population and primary economic activities;

Initial assessment of current preparations for drought within the regional water planning area; and

Threats identified by TWDB, TNRCC, TPWD or EPA to agricultural and natural resources of the region due to water quantity or water quality problems related to water supply.

Task Deliverables:

Inventories of water use by entity, category, source, county and region;

A technical memorandum describing Region B in accordance with 31 TAC §357.7 (a)(1); and

GIS digital map layers by theme.

TASK 4.0 Prepare a Summary of Existing Planning Efforts [§357.5(k)(1)(A-G)]

The objective of this task is to determine the existence, and obtain copies, of applicable water plans. All major water users, purveyors, and counties in the region will be contacted and if available, copies of the following will be obtained:

Water conservation plans;

Drought contingency plans;

Groundwater conservation district management plans;

Water planning studies and water management plans; and

Water availability requirements promulgated by a county commissioners court in accordance with TWC §35.019.

Purveyors who do not have written plans for meeting future water needs will be interviewed to identify their assessment of the adequacy of their existing supply and anticipated actions to supplement existing supplies.

In addition, with the assistance of the Regional Water Planning Group (RWPG), any other existing local and regional plans will be obtained. To the extent practical, publicly available plans for major agricultural, municipal, manufacturing, and commercial water users will be obtained.

Task Deliverables:

A bibliography of existing plans;

A chapter will be included in the regional water plan, as follows:

An identification of users that have adequate water resources for 10, 30, and 50 years based on conclusions of existing plans;

An identification of users that have developed a plan that will provide adequate resources for 10, 30 and 50 years, but have not implemented all phases of the plan. The plan components that have not been implemented will be summarized;

An identification of users for which no assessment has been performed to determine the future adequacy of the supply;

An identification of users that have identified a need for additional supplies in 10, 30, and 50 years, but have not identified a source of supply; and

An identification of users who have, or anticipate, problems related to the quality of their water supply.

TASK 5.0 Review Other Existing Programs and Goals [§357.5(k)(1)(A-C)]

The regional planning process requires coordination with other water supply oriented programs in the planning region. The objective of this task is to identify current programs in Region B, review the goals and results of those programs, and determine how the regional planning process can coordinate with ongoing or planned activities of those programs. Some of these programs include:

Texas Clean Rivers Program;

Federal Clean Water Act;

Federal Safe Drinking Water Act;

Efforts to regionalize water and wastewater systems sponsored by TWDB and others;

Agricultural water conservation programs sponsored by groundwater districts, TWDB, USDA, NRCS and others;

Rangeland and soil conservation programs; and

Other programs that relate to or have an impact on water supply.

Sponsors of these programs in Region B will be contacted to discuss the goals of these programs, current activities, available reports of results, coordination with the regional planning process and other relevant information.

Task Deliverable:

A technical memorandum summarizing the findings of this task.

TASK 6.0 Prepare Population and Water Use Projections [§357.7(a)(2); §357.5]

In order that all water use entities have an opportunity to participate in the water supply planning process, it is important that all parties review and accept the basic data used in the study. Some of the most crucial data in water supply planning are the population and water use projections. Detailed examination of the methodology and assumptions behind the TWDB projections and comparison to projections from other sources are essential for participants in the planning process to understand and accept the regional water plan. Additionally, some revisions may be necessary because the TWDB projections have not been updated since 1995.

The objective of this task is to review the TWDB population and water use projections, to make recommendations for changes to the projections if necessary, and to develop a presentation of the projections according to the guidelines in 31 TAC §357.7 (a)(2). The following steps are required to complete this task:

Obtain detailed information on the methodology, background data, and assumptions used by TWDB to make their population and water use projections;

Compare TWDB projections to more recent projections from TAMU Data Center and other reliable sources;

Compare water use data to information gathered from water suppliers and other sources;

Review the assumptions of the manufacturing projections and compare them with information provided by cities, counties, COGs and industries in Region B;

Consult with the Texas A&M Agricultural Extension Service, underground water districts, and other agricultural interests regarding assumptions in the TWDB agricultural model;

Prepare a draft memorandum describing the projections and assumptions behind the projections. Present the conclusions to the RWPG-B Board and other interested parties at a public meeting for appropriate action;

Should action be deemed necessary, make recommendations for revision of the TWDB projections. Submit the recommended changes and justifications for such changes to the TWDB following the agency procedures; and

Prepare a presentation of the adjusted population and water use projections by city, county and that portion of the Red River Basin within the regional water planning area, by major providers of water for municipal and manufacturing purposes, and by categories of water use including municipal, manufacturing, irrigation, steam electric power generation, mining, and livestock watering.

Task Deliverables:

A technical memorandum describing the findings of this task;

A submittal to TWDB of any recommended changes to the projections; and

A presentation of the projections following the guidelines in 31 TAC §357.7(a)(2).

TASK 7.0 Determine the Adequacy and Condition of Existing Water Supplies [§357.7(a)(3)]

The objective of this task is to estimate water availability during a repeat of drought of record conditions, to estimate water availability when there is 50% and 75% of the water normally available in the source, and to develop a plan to protect water rights in the region. This task will rely on previously developed estimates of the amount of water available during drought of record conditions and the historical performance of the region's water supplies during periods when water supplies are 50% and 75% of normal. The criteria for the 50% and 75% of normal conditions will be developed in Task 8. This task includes the following steps:

Review the following data from the State Water Plan:

Water supply reservoirs,

Firm yield estimates,

Effect of sedimentation on yields over the planning period,

Time and duration of the critical period, and

Period of record used in the yield analysis;

Run-of-the-river supplies:

Amount of water available during drought-of-record conditions,

Time and duration of the drought of record, and

Period of record used in the yield analysis;

Groundwater supplies:

Determine the best methodology for estimating groundwater availability and recharge for each aquifer utilized in the region,

Determine the approximate useful storage volume and estimated recharge rates, and

Determine the reliability of local groundwater supplies;

Review previous surface and groundwater planning studies and compare water availability assumptions to the information in the State Water Plan;

Identify any current or proposed inter-basin transfers in Region B. Evaluate the impacts of inter-basin transfer on the region's water supplies;

Identify water supply sources in Region B that are committed to users outside of Region B. Identify Region B users who are dependent on sources outside of Region B;

Associate current water rights, contracts and options with sources of supply. Compare water rights to the estimated yield of the water supply sources;

Develop a presentation of water availability during drought of record conditions by city, county and that portion of the basin within the regional planning area, by major providers of water for municipal and manufacturing purposes, and by categories of water use including municipal, manufacturing, irrigation, steam electric power generation, mining, and livestock watering. The presentation shall take into account reductions in supply over the planning period due to reservoir sedimentation and over-pumping aquifers;

Develop a plan for protection of existing water rights, contracts and option agreements; and

Evaluate the historical performance of area water supplies when 50% and 75% of the normal quantity of water is available in the supply source. Estimate water availability under these modeled conditions. Summarize availability by city, county and that portion of the basin within the regional planning area, by major providers of water for municipal and manufacturing purposes, and by categories of water use including municipal manufacturing, irrigation, steam electric power generation, mining, and livestock watering.

Task Deliverables:

A technical summary memorandum describing the results of this task;

A priority ranking of the issues and needs identified in this and Task 2.0; and

A database of water availability by location, source and category of use.

TASK 8.0 Prepare Water Supply Versus Demand Analysis [§357.7(a)(4); §357.5(j)]

The objective of this task is to determine areas which will have either a shortage of supply or excess supply over the planning period using a comparison of the water use projections from Task 6 with the water availability during drought of record conditions developed in Task 7.

This task will use the following steps:

Compare the revised TWDB projections for each type of use (municipal, industrial, irrigation, power generation, mining and livestock watering) to the reliable supply available during the drought of record. Comparisons will be made for the entire region and for each sub-region, portion of the basin within the regional planning area, county, source and major water supply provider;

Identify areas with excess supply and areas demonstrating a supply need;

Determine the date when new water supplies will be needed;

Compare water right allocations to current and future needs and identify water rights that are inadequate to meet needs;

Evaluate the social and economic impacts of not meeting a need;

Identify alternative strategies for redistribution of water supplies from areas with supply excess to areas demonstrating supply needs. Strategies include:

Temporarily or permanently changing a reservoir allocation to another type of use,

Voluntary redistribution of water resources, including water marketing, regional water banks, sales, lease options, subordination agreements, and financial agreements, and

Emergency transfers of surface water including a determination of the part of each water right for non-municipal use in the regional water planning area that may be transferred without causing unreasonable damage to the property of the non-municipal water rights holder in accordance with Texas Water Code, §11.139.

Task Deliverable:

A technical summary memorandum describing the results of this task.

TASK 9.0 Assist Communities to Develop Drought Contingency Plans [§357.7(8)(A-B); §357.5(e)(1-7)]

The objective of this task is to provide each water use entity the required assistance in preparation of their drought contingency plan in compliance with Senate Bill 1. A new requirement in SB-1 is that all public water suppliers prepare drought contingency plans. These plans are to be developed pursuant to TNRCC rules and are to be consistent with the regional water plan. The TNRCC is developing rules that specify the minimum content and submittal requirements for these drought plans. In addition, handbooks are being prepared by TNRCC to assist suppliers in preparing these plans.

To assist suppliers in Region B, a series of up to four, one-day workshops will be conducted throughout the region. These workshops will provide Region B suppliers with information regarding drought contingency planning requirements and will provide assistance to the suppliers in preparing their plans. The workshops will be sponsored and conducted by TWDB and TNRCC. Attendees will receive continuing education credits.

The workshops will also be used to obtain information from water suppliers and verify information obtained from TWDB, TNRCC, and other sources regarding the current and projected number of connections, population, and water use. Participants will be contacted prior to the workshops and requested to bring specific information on level of service provided. Input regarding the issues to be addressed by that regional water plan will also be solicited at these workshops.

In keeping with the intent of SB-1's "ground up" planning, local water conservation and drought contingency plans developed as an output of this task will be summarized to provide an overall regional conservation and drought contingency plan for Region B.

Task Deliverables:

· Four (4) one-day workshops held within the region;

A draft water conservation and drought management plan for each participant; and

A regional conservation and drought contingency plan summary document.

TASK 10.0 Prepare Recommendations for Water Management Strategies [§357.7(a)(9)]

In Task 8.0, alternative actions that can address specific needs and concerns will be identified. In Task 10.0, these alternative actions will be combined to develop regional strategies for meeting water supply needs.

Alternative strategies will be developed for meeting water needs during the drought of record for appropriate domestic, manufacturing, irrigation, steam electric power generation, mining, and livestock users.

All water management strategies determined to be potentially feasible will be consistently and equitably compared. These alternative management strategies will be assessed with respect to the following factors:

Quantity, reliability, and cost;

Sensitive environmental factors;

Impacts on agriculture;

Impacts on local and other water resources;

Third party social and economic impacts from voluntary distribution of water as identified by the TWDB;

Regulatory and political acceptability;

Public support; and

Other factors deemed appropriate by the RWPG-B.

Emphasis will be placed on those needs and issues assigned priority in Task 7.0 and planning will be conducted to achieve the most efficient use of existing water supplies.

Existing water rights, contracts, and option agreements will be documented. The plan will protect these rights and options unless the holders explicitly agree to voluntarily redistribute the water to which they have rights on either a temporary or permanent basis.

Strategies considered may include facilities for increasing and/or redistributing water resources; programs to manage demand such as brush control, conservation, and reuse; management alternatives; conjunctive use and/or aquifer storage and recovery; development of new water supplies and/or reservoir sites; and opportunities to provide additional supplies by enhancing the quality of available resources, such as by the Chloride Control Project. As these strategies are identified and evaluated, it may be determined that modifications to existing regulatory, administrative, or legislative programs and/or requirements are needed to facilitate the orderly development, management, and conservation of water resources. These proposed modifications will be documented.

During the development and evaluation of alternative strategies, the RWPG-B may wish to consult with representatives of the interest groups they represent. If so, informational materials and procedures for documenting the information received will be prepared to assist the RWPG-B Members in this activity.

It may also be desirable to solicit input from the public. If so, materials will be prepared for presentation to the public, and public input will be documented.

Based on the evaluation of alternatives, a short-term strategy (0 to 30 years) to meet area needs will be identified, and recommendations will be developed for meeting long-term needs (0 to 50 years). Strategies will be presented in 10-year steps for the years 2000, 2010, 2020, 2030, 2040, and 2050.

In the event there are needs for which no water management strategy is feasible, those needs will be identified. The social and economic impacts, as identified by the TWDB, of not meeting those needs will be assessed.

During the development of this task, working papers will be developed for review by the RWPG that document the alternatives being considered, the capability of each of the alternatives to meet identified needs, and the cost and impact of each of the alternatives.

Since bays and estuaries, and navigation are not relevant to this regional planning area, no management strategy recommendations are planned for this Regional Water Plan.

Task Deliverable:

A technical memorandum summarizing the findings of this task for inclusion in Task 12.

TASK 11.0 Identify Unique Stream Segments and Reservoir Sites [§357.8; §357.9]

The objective of this task is to identify any unique stream segments and/or identify potential reservoir sites. Impacts to navigation within the region are not expected to occur.

In the event RWPG-B Board determines there are stream segments that potentially qualify as segments of unique ecological value, as defined in Section 357.8 of the SB 1 Rules, in the regional planning area, data will be assembled to characterize the segments so the RWPG-B can evaluate each for conformance to the criteria in 31 TAC §357.8. If the RWPG-B determines there are sites that potentially qualify for designation as having unique value for the construction of reservoirs, data will be assembled to characterize these segments so the RWPG-B can evaluate them for conformance to the criteria in 31 TAC §357.9.

To accomplish this task, it will be necessary to evaluate existing and proposed alternate management strategies for the effects on instream flows and wildlife habitat. As these alternate management strategies are identified for consideration, specific recommendations will be included in the recommendations section addressing environmentally sensitive stream segments with emphasis to encourage the use of good environmental planning criteria with each recommended alternative management strategy or potential reservoir site identified within the planning area.

Task Deliverable:

A technical memorandum describing the results of this task with specific recommendations included in Task 12.

TASK 12.0 Prepare General Recommendations [§357.7 - §357.12]

The objective of this task is to prepare the recommendations for the Regional Water Plan document and will be including subject matter identified in the course of this study with recommendations for:

Regulatory, administrative and legislative actions;

Orderly development, management, and conservation of water resources in the region;

Assisting entities with preparations for and response to drought conditions;

Further economic development;

Protection of the agricultural and natural resources of the state and region;

The TWDB, state agencies, and potential sponsors of legislation;

Designation of ecologically unique stream segments, including:

A physical description giving the location of the stream segment, including maps and photographs, and

A site characterization documented by supporting literature and data.

These recommendations will be forwarded to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for review and comment. Comments will be addressed before inclusion into the regional water supply plan. The plan will include, if available, TPWD's written evaluation of the recommended segments.

Designation of unique sites for reservoir construction, including:

Descriptions of the site,

Reasons for the unique designation,

A preliminary evaluation of environmental impacts of the reservoir, and

Expected beneficiaries of the water supply to be developed at the site.

Copies of the recommendations will be submitted to the TWDB, TNRCC and TPWD for review and comment. Comments from these agencies will be addressed before inclusion in the regional water supply plan. Recommend alternatives to construction of new reservoirs as identified in Task 11.

Task Deliverable:

A chapter in the Regional Water Plan document providing specific recommendations as described above.

TASK 13.0 Prepare Regional Water Plan Document [§357.10(a)(1-3); §357.11(a-d); §357.12(a-b)]

The objective of this task is to develop a written Regional Water Plan document that addresses all of the rule requirements of 31 TAC §357. The report will be compiled as follows:

Prepare a draft water plan document summarizing the results of this study and including the following:

An executive summary of the regional water plan for Area B;

A description of the regional planning area;

Presentation of population and water demand projections by decade from 1990 to 2050;

Evaluation of the adequacy of current supplies;

Water demand and supply comparisons; and

Detailed recommendations to meet near-term needs, including:

Costs associated with implementing the strategy, including estimated cost of facilities and permitting costs,

Preliminary assessment of environmental and social impacts, and

Alternative scenarios to meet long-term water supply needs;

Recommendations for water management strategies under normal, 75% of normal, and 50% of normal conditions;

Proposed unique stream segments and reservoir sites;

Provide the required public notices and conduct at least one public hearing after 30 day public review period to solicit comments on the recommendations in the plan. Prepare a summary of public comments and responses for inclusion in the draft report;

Identify and seek to resolve any known conflicts with other regions and submit a description of the conflict to TWDB; and

Submit the draft plan to TWDB following guidelines in 31 TAC §357.11(a).

Prepare a final Regional Water Plan document for adoption by the RWPG-B Board incorporating any amendments required by TWDB, TNRCC, or TPWD.

Hold a public meeting soliciting comments on any proposed amendments;

Submit copies of the adopted regional plan, attendant reports and technical summaries to TWDB by September 1, 2000; and

Distribute copies of the plan to selected stakeholders.

Task Deliverables:

A draft Regional Water Plan document for Area B; and

A final Regional Water Plan document for Area B.

VI. TASK Timeline Schedule

VI. VICINITY MAP