Post Oak Savannah Groundwater Conservation District (POSGCD) General Manager Gary Westbrook was a guest speaker at the Texas Alliance of Groundwater District summer business meeting.
The panel on Grant Funding for GCD Projects consisted of General Manager of Panhandle BCD Britney Britten, GM of Presidio County UWCD Trey Gerfers, GM of Presidio County UWCD and Westbrook. Panel members were selected because of their expertise and experience in obtaining grants and federal assistance from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Last year, POSGCD was awarded a $200,000 grant in federal assistance from the Bureau of Reclamation to improve groundwater modeling capabilities in the local area that will be a significant tool in supporting management decisions. Westbrook explained to the group how the grant was obtained and how it will be used.
Currently, the district uses a groundwater availability model (GAM) of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer developed by the Texas Water Development Board. Covering a study area of all or parts of 46 counties, the current model was developed for and intended to be used as a regional water planning tool in the overall state water plan.
The current GAM was updated five years ago for the first time since its release in 2004. The district contributed to the last update and it has served as a valuable tool, but there’s a need for a more detailed model in the current management conditions.
The current GAM is not equipped or detailed enough to be used in local, smaller- scale management decisions. The grant will be used in collaboration with the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University to develop a new model, Operational Management Model (OPMAN).
“OPMAN will be developed using significantly more data from our counties so that it can better simulate local hydrogeologic conditions within the 14-county area recognized as Groundwater Management Area 12, and more specifically, Burleson and Milam counties. This will allow the district to have a more focused picture of the aquifers as a whole with the capability of assessing smaller-scale management scenarios in more detail than ever before,” said Westbrook.
“This detailed and more accurate data set will provide better estimates of risks and impacts of groundwater pumping/recharge to make more reliable—and quantifiable— management decisions, to better enforce our rules to prevent over-production, and to protect the local water supplies for the long term,” Westbrook added.
The district will contribute an additional $350,000 to be combined with the $200,000 grant to develop this new modeling software. Updates about this project can be found by visiting the POSGCD website at www. posgcd.org.
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