Res 1991-131 - Laserfiche WebLink

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A. INTRODUCTION Growth along the 1-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio continues to impact the natural resources of the region. One of the most notable is the Edwards Aquifer which provides most of the water needs in the Region. The aquifers' susceptability to depletion is of concern as water demands increase. The need to reduce dependence on the Aquifer is becoming acute and resulting in major projects by San Antonio and others to reduce their dependence on the Aquifer. Additionally, plans are underway to limi t future pumping from the Edwards Aquifer by granting permits to establish the allowable withdrawals. It is possible that in the near future the municipali ties that use wells will be 11mi ted to some maximum withdrawal rate based upon historical usage, but less than that required to meet future growth needs. The need to develop alternate water supply sources is necessary and some muncipali ties have already begun looking at ways to transition to new sources. New Braunfels is actively pursuing the use of surface water from the Guadalupe River and a water treatment plant to reach this goal. They included in their planning the possibility of San Marcos entering into a partnership to receive a portion of the treated water. The purpose of this report was to review the cost estimate for the San Marcos portion of the New Braunfels project and propose alternate approaches and opinions of probable project cost for San Marcos to develop a surface water supply independent of the New Braunfels project. B. PREVIOUS STUDIES 1. The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) provides directly or indirectly, a large portion of the water used in the region between, but not including Austin and San Antonio. They are closely involved with and concerned about the conservation of water resources and realize the importance of water to the future of the region, 3