Collaboration

The District has the primary responsibility for managing the groundwater resources in its jurisdiction, but a number of other organizations collaborate and cooperate with the District in carrying out its mission. Some of this coordination is statutorily mandated or otherwise necessary. Some arises from shared and overlapping resources and interests. The District strives to maintain a constructive relationship with all these entities and takes a leadership role when and where needed in cultivating and extending those relationships; to a considerable extent their success helps the District achieve successful management and administration of groundwater.

More information on these collaborating organizations and links to their websites are tabulated below [all are external links.]

	Regional Water Quality Protection Plan for the Barton Springs Segment of the Edwards Aquifer and Its Contributing Zone A  two-year collaborative investigation among virtually all the political jurisdictions and various stakeholder groups in the contributing and recharge zones of the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer produced a consensus set of recommendations to protect the water in the aquifer.  The various actions and initiatives comprising these recommendations are being pursued and extended by the individual political jurisdictions.  An Intergovernmental work group meets periodically to assess progress on the plan, discuss needs and options, share information and lessons learned, and jointly support each others’ initiatives. Plan Overview. Final Report Submittal Letter Final RWQPPP Executive Summary Final RWQPPP Vol I Final RWQPPP Vol II
	Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts TAGD is the pre-eminent association of GCDs in Texas.  It is a 501(c)3 organization that is dedicated to supporting local groundwater management through GCDs, sharing useful information and approaches to groundwater management tools  among its members, providing a speaker’s bureau on groundwater resource management and its institutions, and keeping abreast of and commenting as a stakeholder group on changing statutes and state agency policies.  www.texasgroundwater.org
	The City of Austin The City of Austin, especially through its Executive, Water Utility, and Watershed Protection and Development Review Departments, is a collaborative and coordinating partner with the District in many of its activities, including scientific investigations, evaluations of proposed development and groundwater use plans, habitat conservation planning, and educational initiatives. The City of Austin also is an important financial contributor to the District’s [operating budget].  www.ci.austin.tx.us
	Regional Water Planning Groups The District is an active participant in the continuing water resource planning initiatives provided by the regional water planning groups. It straddles two dynamic water planning regions: the Lower Colorado Regional Planning Group (Region K), and the South Central Texas Regional Planning Group (Region L). The Texas Water Development Board provides oversight to these groups and utilizes their outputs concerning groundwater and surface water availability and responsive water supply management strategies to develop the State Water Plan. More information on regional water planning may be found at https://www.twdb.texas.gov/waterplanning/rwp/.
	Groundwater Management Areas The District is also an active participant in the joint planning process of two groundwater management areas: GMA-9 and GMA-10.  These GMAs comprise Board-designated representatives of all the GCDs whose jurisdiction is at least partially included in the GMA boundaries, and they exist to establish, review, and revise, as needed on a continuing basis, the Desired Future Conditions of the aquifers that are to be regulated in the GMA, which in turn are used by the Texas Water Development Board to establish Managed Available Groundwater amounts that form upper limits on aquifer production.  The initial round of DFCs for all aquifers in the District should be complete by September 2010.  More information on GMAs in general and GMA-9 and GMA-10 in particular may be found at www.twdb.texas.gov/groundwater/management_areas/.

 

Other Collaborating Resource Management Entities:
Edwards Aquifer Authority – www.edwardsaquifer.org
Hays Trinity GCD – www.haysgroundwater.org
Hill Country Alliance – www.hillcountryalliance.org/
Hill Country Conservancy – www.hillcountryconservancy.org
Plum Creek GCD – www.pccd.org