Instream Flows April 1, 2016 Brackenridge Park 2 Map 3 SAWS - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Instream Flows April 1, 2016

Brackenridge Park 2

Map 3

SAWS Reuse Water 4

Dos Rios Discharge at Brackenridge Park 10.00 Permit Limit = 10 mg/l 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.28 2.10 2.04 2.03 2.04 2.03 2.04 2.04 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 0.00 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Graph Courtesy of San Antonio Water Systems 5

Erosion Over Sidewalk 6

Bridge Stops Some of the Floating Debris 7

Floating Debris 8

Lower San Antonio River Instream Flows Project

Senate Bill 2  Goal – Conduct Scientific and Engineering Studies to Determine Flow Regimes (both Water Quality , Quantity and Timing) Necessary to Support a Sound Ecological Environment  Established the Instream Flows Program

Multi-Agency Team

Multi-Discipline Approach Hydrology and Physical Hydraulics Processes Water Biology Quality Connectivity

Stakeholder Process  Stakeholders are a critical component of the Texas Instream Flows Program.  Stakeholder meetings held 2008

Integrated Approach Flow Recommendations

Flow Recommendations  Subsistence flows  Base flows (dry, average and wet)  High pulse flows  Over bank flow  Seasonal component

Lower San Antonio River and Cibolo Creek Instream Flow Study

Upcoming Stakeholder Process  We have: • Data • Analysis • Modeling  We need: • You!

Please Save the Date Thursday, October 27, 2016 or Friday, October 28, 2016 Location: TBD Time: TBD (one will be an evening and one will be daytime) 18

Environmental Flows  Amount of water that should remain in stream or river for benefit of environment, bay, & estuary while balancing human needs.  House Bill 3 and Senate Bill 3 – manage and preserve water resources of state and protect instream and freshwater inflows.  Developed Environmental Flows Advisory Group and Science Advisory Committee 19

Guadalupe, San Antonio, Mission, & Aransas Rivers and Mission, Copano, Aransas, & San Antonio Bays Basin & Bay Expert Science Team (BBEST) Blanco River @ Wimberley, TX Guadalupe River @ Comfort, TX San Marcos River @ Luling, TX Guadalupe River near Spring Branch, TX Plum Creek near Luling, TX Guadalupe River @ Gonzales, TX Medina River @ Bandera, TX Sandies Creek near Westhoff, TX Medina River @ San Antonio, TX Guadalupe River @ Cuero, TX San Antonio River near Elmendorf, TX Guadalupe River @ Victoria, TX San Antonio River @ Goliad, TX San Antonio River near Falls City, TX Cibolo Creek near Falls City, TX Mission River @ Refugio, TX

GSA BBASC Recommendations Qp: 36,700 cfs with Average Frequency 1 per 5 years Regressed Volume is 492,000 Duration Bound is 70 Qp: 24,400 cfs with Average Frequency 1 per 2 years Overbank Regressed Volume is 306,000 Flows Duration Bound is 57 Qp: 14,300 cfs with Average Frequency 1 per year Regressed Volume is 165,000 Duration Bound is 43 Qp: 4,140 cfs with Average Qp: 6,590 cfs with Average Qp: 1,760 cfs with Average Qp: 4,330 cfs with Average Frequency 1 per season Frequency 1 per season Frequency 1 per season Frequency 1 per season Regressed Volume is 48,300 Regressed Volume is 58,400 Regressed Volume is 14,800 Regressed Volume is 41,200 Duration Bound is 29 Duration Bound is 24 Duration Bound is 14 Duration Bound is 23 High Flow Pulses Qp: 1,150 cfs with Average Qp: 3,250 cfs with Average Qp: 950 cfs with Average Qp: 1,410 cfs with Average Frequency 2 per season Frequency 2 per season Frequency 2 per season Frequency 2 per season Regressed Volume is 9,640 Regressed Volume is 26,900 Regressed Volume is 7,060 Regressed Volume is 11,400 Duration Bound is 13 Duration Bound is 17 Duration Bound is 10 Duration Bound is 13 791 727 Base Flows 796 746 591 591 (cfs) 400 400 Subsistence 210 210 210 180 Flows (cfs) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep 21 Oct Nov Dec Winter Spring Summer Fall

TCEQ Environmental Flow Standards Qp: 1,150 cfs with Average Qp: 3,250 cfs with Average Qp: 1,760 cfs with Average Qp: 1,410 cfs with Average High Flow Frequency 2 per season Frequency 2 per season Frequency 2 per season Frequency 2 per season Pulses Regressed Volume is 9,640 Regressed Volume is 26,900 Regressed Volume is 14,800 Regressed Volume is 11,400 Duration Bound is 13 Duration Bound is 17 Duration Bound is 14 Duration Bound is 13 Base Flows 796 791 727 746 (cfs) Subsistence 210 210 210 180 Flows (cfs) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Winter Spring Summer Fall 1)Hardy Base flow adjustment. 2)50% Rule between Base and Subsistence. 3)Pulse Exemption Rule. 22

TCEQ Environmental Flow Standards for SARB 23

Mid-Basin Surface Water Project 24

Lower Basin New Appropriation 25

Mid-Basin Project Firm Yield TCEQ Standards 26

Next Steps  TCEQ implementing Environmental Flow Standards on new/amended water rights.  SARA continues to fund and support scientific studies to refine numbers appropriate for instream and environmental flows.  Revisions to standards made in ten years from adoption. (2022) 27

Questions 28