Texas H2O Nov/Dec '21

TEX Sh2o | Winter 2021 |



The Official Newsletter of the Texas Section AWWA | Every Drop, Every Day, Everywhere©

SPECIAL ISSUE DEDICATED TO

Source Water Protection

Celebrating 50 Years!

| water usage |

The Importance of Understanding Water Usage

BY DANIEL NIX chair of tawwa's agricultural water committee

I

n a State as economically diverse as Texas, water use has to be understood and attention given to the sectors that are using the water. Agriculture irrigation is the largest end user of water in the State of Texas, representing 54% (7.97 million acre feet) of water used in Texas during 2018.

In 2017, as I was departing my tenure as TAWWA Chair, one of my last official acts was to create an Agriculture Committee within the TAWWA. This committee is tasked with helping TAWWA better understand the water needs and issues surrounding agricultural water use and to begin to develop methods to assist in improving water use practices in the agriculture sector. A collaborative approach has been adopted by TAWWA, working with other well established agriculture entities across the State.

In 2018, a new Farm Bill was passed and it dedicated 10 percent of the allotted money to be directed towards source water protection, which would mean millions of dollars that could potentially be brought into helping improve source water quality and quantity. Therefore, one the first actions that TAWWA took was to become a member of the State Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) for the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the U.S. Department of

Agriculture. During the first STAC meeting, in April 2018, TAWWA assisted other stakeholders within the STAC in reforming the defunct Water Resources subcommittee so the NRCS could receive guidance on the newly adopted 2018 Farm Bill.

This edition of the TEXASh2o newsletter is solely dedicated to the 2018 Farm Bill and the actions that TAWWA and Texas NRCS have undertaken to get funding where it can do the most good in protecting our source waters, as well as, an example from the Tarrant Regional Water District on what a successful source water protection project looks like. It is my hope that the readers of this edition find the information of value to their regions and can leverage it to benefit the water customers.

Videos and Resources to Share with Your Customers and Colleagues Easy ways to help others understand Watershed Protection Understanding Nutrient Runoff and Source Water Protection: https://tinyurl.com/2d4vmm2z Watersheds, part of the TAWWA WaterGeek series: https://tinyurl.com/55hnepxr AWWA Source Water Resources: https://tinyurl.com/s2c4pp53 Tarrant Regional Source Water Protection: https://vimeo.com/651797373

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2021 | 3 |

| letter from the texas section chair |

Welcome Message from the New Chair Texas Section American Water Works Association P.O. Box 80150 Austin, Texas 78708 www.tawwa.org Drew Molly, Chair 832-395-3785 Amy Middleton, Chair-Elect 210-510-0888 Vacant, Vice-Chair Melissa Bryant, Imm. Past Chair 210-302-3611 Mike Howe Executive Director/Secretary-Treasurer 512-238-9292 Fax: 512-238-0496 mikehowe@tawwa.org This publication is distributed bi-monthly to the more than 3,500 members and friends of the Texas Section – American Water Works Association.

Contributing writers can contact the editor: Cliff Avery GCP Association Services, LLC PO Box 676 Pflugerville, TX 78691 512-251-8101 Fax: 512-251-8152 TXh20@tawwa.org The publication name, TexasH2O: © 1996-2021 Texas Section – American Water Works Association, Inc. © 2021 Texas Section – American Water Works Association, Inc.

FOLLOW TAWWA ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!

Texas AWWA

@txawwa

BY DREW MOLLY texas section chair

H

owdy, fellow Texas Section Members! I am honored to serve as your Chair of the Texas Section of AWWA. And while I am grateful for the opportunity to serve, I also want to thank our past Chair, Theresa Pedrazas, for her excellent service to this organization. I have enjoyed working with Theresa and wish her the best success going forward as I know she’ll continue to be a trailblazer in our industry.

DREW MOLLY 2021 continues to be a year of curveballs and 832-395-3785 uncertainty, and I admit that I’m glad the fall is andrew.molly@houstontx.gov finally here. For me, this beautiful season is a welcomed time of the year, marked by cooler temperatures, the near-end of the dreaded Hurricane season, and what most of us in Texas consider a cultural phenomenon—college football.

College football brings the nation together in a competitive spirit like few other pastimes, with a renewed sense of hope that your team may play in the big bowl game. This camaraderie and spirit refreshes and invigorates us all.

In fact, this heightened energy and excitement reminds me of those same feelings when I walk into a Texas Water Conference. You know that extraordinary anticipation when you first walk into the immense exhibit hall to view 500-plus vendor booths; or watch some of the incredible competitions such as pipe tapping and Tops-Ops; or just the sheer fun of running into old colleagues you haven’t seen in a long time. Yes, it’s been a very long time since we’ve done this, and I know all of us are eager to return to a normal conference. After two years of virtual conferences, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we can host a massively successful Texas Water conference in San Antonio. And, if Texas Water wasn’t enough, we have ACE three months later in June 2022!

One of the 2021 curveballs thrown at many of us was the infamous winter weather event that hit Texas during the week of February 14 and challenged us all. Anything not buried, heated, insulated or wrapped was a potential target of Uri, tragically leaving 111 dead. You will also recall that 1,900 boil water notices (BWNs) impacting 16 million Texans (compared to CONTINUED PAGE 34 | letter from the texas section chair

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| executive director report |

Why Source Water Protection Matters!

BY MIKE HOWE tawwa executive director

W

e have dedicated this issue of TEXASh2o to a single, particularly important topic.

Source Water Protection.

We are committed to helping utilities understand the value of working with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) here in Texas to assess their source waters as the beginning of the well-known “multi-barrier” treatment process.

We all know pure water does not exist in the natural environment. All waters in Texas are found with minerals, chemicals or other contaminants. Sometimes these compounds are present naturally. In other situations, they are present as a result of human activity.

Agriculture, industry, oil and gas operations and urban development all affect the quality and quantity of surface water and ground water sources. Urban development decreases the surface area available for water to filter into the ground. As a result, water simply flows across the surface instead of recharging aquifers.

Water quality can be threatened by overuse and inefficient use, and human activity can directly and indirectly introduce contaminants into both surface water and ground water source.

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Preventing contamination at the source helps reduce the costs of treating water later in the drinking water treatment process. In fact, the USEPA estimates remediating ground water can be forty times more expensive than taking steps MIKE HOWE to protect the water at the 512-238-9292 mikehowe@tawwa.org source.

If protecting public health and reducing ever increasing water treatment costs are not enough, utilities and their communities are becoming more aware of the impacts of climate changes.

In the years to come, there will be increased nonpoint source runoff due to increased precipitation, wildfires, and soil erosion. Changes in the frequency of extreme rainfall events may lead to greater frequency of waterborne diseases and runoff of contaminants to water sources. Changes to lake levels may cause decreased water quality due to lower water volume, increased non-point source pollution, and increased chemical reactions between water, sediments and pollutants. And changes to lake levels may lead to increased water treatment costs due to reduced lake water quality. Changes to water temperature could occur, potentially resulting in greater algae production.

We invite you to read all this issue of TEXASh2o to learn more about the resources available to utilities to make Source Water Protection part of the ongoing process of creating the highest quality water and protecting public health.

Source Water Protection matters!

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| conservation programs |

Farm Bill Conservation Programs for Source Water Protection

BY LORI ZIEHR assistant state conservationist for programs, nrcs

U

SDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering eligible farmers and ranchers an increased financial assistance rate to implement source water protection conservation practices located in priority areas across Texas.

The 2018 Farm Bill requires NRCS to use at least 10 percent of its annual financial assistance funds to support source water quality protection. Funding is available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits. This voluntary conservation program helps producers make conservation work for them. Together, NRCS and producers invest in solutions that conserve natural resources for the future while also improving agricultural operations.

An initiative in EQIP, the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI), accelerates voluntary, on-farm conservation investments and focuses water quality monitoring and assessment resources where they can deliver the greatest benefits for clean water. The 2018 Farm Bill expanded the scope of NWQI to include source water protection, including both surface and ground water public water systems, and is now a special component of NWQI. This provision requires that NRCS work with partners to identify local priority areas for drinking water protection and provide increased incentives for practices that relate to water quality and quantity and protect drinking water

sources. Texas currently has two NWQI watersheds and both are proposed for inclusion as Priority Source Water Protection Area for Fiscal Year 2022.

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resource concerns. Participants earn CSP payments for conservation performance—the higher the performance, the higher the payment.

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners to deliver conservation assistance to producers and landowners. NRCS provides assistance to producers through partnership agreements and RCPP conservation program contracts.

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program helps landowners, land trusts, and other entities protect, restore, and enhance wetlands, grasslands, and working farms and ranches through conservation easements.

Conservation systems to improve water quality include practices that promote soil health, reduce erosion and lessen nutrient runoff, such as cover crops, riparian buffers, prescribed grazing, and manure management. These practices not only benefit natural resources but enhance agricultural productivity and profitability by improving soil health and optimizing the use of agricultural inputs.

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2021 | 9 |

| groundwater issues |

Groundwater Issues in Relation to Conservation Programs

BY ADAM CARPENTER manager of energy and environmental policy, american water works association

T

he USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) spends nearly $4 billion per year to help plan and implement conservation practices on America’s farms, ranchlands and nonindustrial private forests. In part due to AWWA’s advocacy efforts on the 2018 Farm Bill, these conservation practices now include an emphasis on protecting sources of drinking water, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on conservation practices that help to improve or protect source waters.

Because of this significant investment, it should come as no surprise that both AWWA and EPA have been advocating for utilities to get involved in protecting sources of drinking water through the conservation programs of the Farm Bill. By getting to know the NRCS state conservationist and staff, participating on the state technical committee, and otherwise participating in the process, utilities and others allied to the field can help ensure that these conservation funds are spent effectively to meet the most critical source water needs.

In Texas (and elsewhere) many source water challenges relate to groundwater. Groundwaterfocused practices can include those designed to protect wellhead areas such as buffer areas with or without easements, manure management, safer agrichemical handling facilities, and many others. For areas with shallow or vulnerable aquifers, more distributed measures can help to reduce chemical, nutrient, and bacterial loads entering into aquifers currently used or planned for future use as drinking water.

Several examples come to mind. In the Saucony Creek Watershed in Berks County, Pennsylvania, nitrate concentrations in groundwater were spiking near 10 mg/l and rising. The watershed supports three

community drinking water systems and serves more than 14,000 people.

Several partners worked with NRCS to designate the area as a National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ national/water/?cid=stelprdb1047761) and set to work with agricultural producers to reduce nutrients entering the groundwater. Using primarily NRCS funding, supplemented by partner contributions, 29 individual on-farm practices were installed.

Practices such as filter strips, exclusionary streambank fencing, heavy use area protection, liquid and dry manure storage, and armored stream crossings were applied throughout the watershed. As a result, nitrates entering the watershed began to fall. Between 2015 and 2016 nitrate levels had dropped to 6.7 mg/l, a clear indicator of the project’s success.

Closer to home, in the Nebraska communities of Wilber and Dewitt, a groundwater protection project combined both the NRCS National Water Quality Initiative and EPA’s Section 319 nonpoint source management program (https://www.epa.gov/ nps/319-grant-program-states-and-territories) to fund conservation practices to reduce E. coli, Atrazine runoff, and nitrates in and around wellhead protection areas. Several other Nebraskan projects use similar arrangements to take advantage of both NRCS and other funding sources together.

In Kansas, the NRCS has identified several practices that protect groundwater to receive higher rates of cost share in order to increase their adoption rate.

They include riparian forest buffers, irrigation water management, nutrient management and access control.

CONTINUED PAGE 37 | groundwater issues

| 10 | WINTER 2021 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| high priority areas |

Source Water Protection High Priority Areas in Texas

BY KYLE WRIGHT water quality specialist, nrcs

T

he 2018 Farm Bill amended the Food Security Act of 1985, Section 1244 to add a provision providing for the protection of source water by targeting conservation practices. This provision requires identifying local priority areas for drinking water protection in each state and collaborating with state technical committees and public water systems.

In determining high priority areas, NRCS in Texas and its partners considered concerns about either the quality or quantity of source water or both.

The following risk factors were considered in selecting high priority areas where agricultural land uses may impact source water: • Nutrients, sediment, pathogens, pesticides – identified water quality resource concerns at watershed/area scale • Reported or likelihood of harmful algal blooms • Water system violations • Size of population served by Source Water Priority Areas • Groundwater systems served by an aquifer designated as "sole source" • Known areas of aquifer depletion or groundwater management areas Other risks that may impact source water: • Karst geology • Highly erodible soils • Degraded habitat • Livestock access to surface water • Wildfire risk

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Priority areas cover approximately 20.2 million acres with nearly half of Texas counties having at least a portion of the county in a designated local priority area. Targeted EQIP funding is available in these priority areas, wherein applicants may qualify for increased incentive payments to apply conservation practices addressing source water protection.

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| 12 | WINTER 2021 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

HUC12s w/ >25% SPA Coverage Total Score

4 - 10 11 - 13 14 - 17

Counties

Counties

Dallam

Hansford Ochiltree Sherman

Hartley Oldham

Potter Carson Gray

Deaf Smith Randall Parmer

Castro

Donley Collingsworth

Swisher

Bailey Lamb Hale Cochran

Hudspeth

Wheeler

Armstrong Hall

Briscoe

El Paso

Lipscomb

Hutchinson Moore Roberts Hemphill

Floyd

Motley

Dickens

Childress Hardeman Cottle Foard

Wilbarger

Wichita

Clay Lamar Red Cooke Grayson Hockley Lubbock King Knox Baylor Archer River Bowie Crosby Montague Fannin Delta Terry Stonewall Morris Lynn Yoakum Hunt Garza Kent Haskell Young Jack Wise Denton Collin Hopkins Titus Cass Camp Rockwall Rains Throckmorton Tarrant Scurry Marion Palo Dawson Wood Upshur Gaines Stephens Dallas Fisher Jones Pinto Parker Borden Van Harrison Johnson Kaufman Zandt Shackelford Smith Gregg Hood Andrews Martin Howard Ellis Eastland Henderson Rusk Nolan Taylor Panola Erath Somervell Mitchell Cherokee Callahan Navarro Hill Loving Winkler Ector Midland Comanche Anderson Bosque Shelby Sterling Coke Runnels Brown Freestone Glasscock Hamilton Nacogdoches Coleman McLennan Ward Culberson Limestone Crane Mills Tom San Augustine Houston Upton Reagan Reeves Coryell Irion Green Angelina Leon Falls McCulloch San Lampasas Sabine Trinity Concho Jasper Saba Bell Robertson Madison Schleicher Menard Burnet Pecos Jeff Davis Polk Tyler Newton Crockett Walker Milam Brazos Mason Llano Williamson San Jacinto Grimes Sutton Burleson Kimble Hardin Lee Gillespie Travis Montgomery Terrell Blanco Washington Orange Presidio Liberty Bastrop Kerr Edwards Hays Kendall Waller Jefferson Val Verde Brewster Harris Fayette Real Austin Comal Caldwell Chambers Bandera Guadalupe Colorado Fort Galveston Bend Bexar Gonzales Lavaca Kinney Uvalde Medina Wharton Brazoria Wilson De Jackson Witt Zavala Frio Atascosa Karnes Victoria Matagorda Maverick Goliad McMullen Calhoun Dimmit Live Bee Refugio La Salle Oak Aransas San Patricio Duval Webb Nueces Jim Wells Kleberg Zapata

Jim Brooks Kenedy Hogg Starr Hidalgo

Willacy Cameron

Sources: Esri, HERE, Garmin, USGS, Intermap, INCREMENT P, NRCan, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), Esri Korea, Esri (Thailand), NGCC, (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community 0

15 30 45 60 75 90 105 Miles

This product is for informational purposes and may not have been prepared for or be suitable for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. It does not represent an on-the-ground survey and represents only the approximate relative location of property boundaries.

NRCS - Water Resources Subcommittee

Composite Scorecard Results for HUC12s with Source Water Protection Areas (SPAs) in Texas Data Sources: TCEQ, TSSWCB, TRWA, USEPA

Texas HUC12s in the blue and red areas were prioritized for Farm Bill funds

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| trwd program |

TRWD Watershed Program

BY TINA HENDON, natural resources manager, ecosystem planning & restoration AARON HOFF, watershed programs manager, tarrant regional water district DARREL ANDREWS, assistant environmental director, tarrant regional water district

T

he Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), through its system of surface water reservoirs and customers, supplies water to over 2.3 million people in the North Central Texas region, a population expected to double by 2070. With so much depending on the quality and quantity of this critical supply, TRWD dedicates considerable resources toward long-term water supply planning and providing a dependable and sustainable water source to the region.

Early on, TRWD realized that the quality and quantity of water in its supplies were dependent on the natural characteristics and land management in the

watersheds. Without appropriate land management practices in place, rainfall runoff can increase erosion and carry soil, nutrients and other substances which reduce storage capacity and negatively impact reservoir health, recreational use and water treatment costs.

As in the state as a whole, most of the land in TRWD’s watersheds is privately-owned, which can present a unique challenge to setting and meeting watershed-scale goals. Beginning in the 1960s, and into the present day, TRWD has joined with a wide range of CONTINUED PAGE 25 | trwd program

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| subcommittee |

Texas Water Resources Subcommittee

BY KIMBERLY HORNDESKI executive director, community consulting llc

T

he Texas Water Resources Subcommittee knows that defining areas to receive source water protect is not easy, especially in a state the size of Texas. We need data and information. And we recognize that each committee member comes from a different organization or agency with their own missions and agendas. It may not always be easy to collaborate, but it is worth it in the end.

In the first year, the Water Resources Subcommittee went through a process to define priority areas resulting in agencies and organizations pushing their preferred locations for funding resulting in lack of agreement. As a result, the Water Resources

Subcommittee recommended NRCS include every Source Water Protection Area in the state as a priority area, resulting in 67,149.25 square miles (25 percent of the state) being defined as a priority area without sufficient evaluation of the areas. In the following year, 2020, NRCS received direction to once again try to work with local partners in the NRCS Water Resources Subcommittee to develop a single, supported, recommendation of specific priority areas.

In 2020 and in 2021 the Water Resources Subcommittee did just that. The Texas NRCS Water CONTINUED PAGE 28 | subcommittee

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| dwsrf |

Using the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Set-Asides for Source Water Protection Loans States may offer loans to community water systems to finance source water protection activities through the Local Assistance and Other State Programs set-aside.

W

hat is Source Water Protection?

Source water is the water from rivers, streams, lakes, springs and ground water aquifers that provides water to public drinking water supplies and private wells. Source water protection aims to safeguard, maintain, or improve the quality of those drinking water sources and their contributing land-areas. There is growing recognition that protecting a source from contamination is often more efficient and cost-effective than treating the drinking water to remove the contamination. Types of source water

protection measures that a community can implement include local land use controls through land acquisition and conservation easements, best management practices for agricultural and forestry activities, and public education initiatives.

Source water protection is integral to providing safe and reliable drinking water to the nearly 300 million people served by community water systems in the United States. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996 established the Drinking Water CONTINUED PAGE 29 | dwsrf

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| infrastructure bill |

President Signs Massive Infrastructure Bill

O

n Nov. 15, President Biden signed H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, into law. For the water sector, this act reauthorizes several existing drinking water programs, appropriates expanded funding for water infrastructure and other programs, and commits $15 billion for lead service line replacement.

Now comes the challenge of implementing the programs in the bill. Staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will have to develop guidance and policies for dispersing the funds, and since a lot of the money is then to be distributed via each state’s state revolving loan fund (SRF) program, those agencies will have to accept and process applications. In other words, money will not immediately flow from Washington. However, EPA water staff told AWWA staff this week that since the Senate passed this bill last summer, they have been preparing to administer programs within H.R. 3684.

AWWA issued a statement thanking Congress and the president for their support of water infrastructure.

Here are some highlights: Drinking Water Authorizations (Note that authorization is an initial step; the actual release of funds requires appropriations legislation, which is also in this bill, listed after this section): • $75 million for technical assistance and grants for emergencies affecting public water systems, including natural hazards and cybersecurity • $14.65 billion for the drinking water SRF program for fiscal years 2022-2026 • Applicants for loans under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program will only need to provide one credit rating instead of two, as is currently required • EPA must develop a WIFIA outreach plan for small and rural communities • $510 million in assistance for small and disadvantaged communities

• $500 million for reducing lead in drinking water by removing lead service lines and other relevant activities, with an emphasis on assisting disadvantaged communities • $250 million to improve operational sustainability of small water systems • $250 million for the mid-size and large drinking water system resilience and sustainability program • A needs assessment for a nationwide low-income water bill assistance program • 40 pilot projects to provide financial assistance to low-income water customers • $200 million for lead testing and remediation in schools • $50 million for a study assessing emerging technologies that could address cybersecurity and water monitoring issues and a grant program to deploy technologies Drinking Water Appropriations • $50 million annually for WIFIA programs for FY2022-2026 • $11.713 billion for the drinking water SRF; 49% to be in the form of grants or loans with principal forgiveness; only 10% state match required in FY2022 and FY2023 (the wastewater SRF program got an equal amount) • $15 billion for lead service line replacement, with 49% to be in the form of grants or loans with principal forgiveness; no state match required; $3 billion annually for FY2022-2026 • $4 billion to be channeled through the drinking water SRF for emerging contaminants, all in the form of grants or principal forgiveness • $5 billion to deal with emerging contaminants in economically distressed communities • $1.126 annually in additional funding for the drinking water SRF through FY2026 CONTINUED PAGE 22 | infrastructure bill

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2021 | 21 |

| infrastructure bill |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 | infrastructure bill • $1.6 billion annually in additional funding for the wastewater SRF through FY2026 Cybersecurity • EPA and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are to identify public water systems, that if degraded or rendered inoperable, would lead to significant impacts on the public’s health and safety • EPA and CISA are to develop a technical cybersecurity support plan for public water systems • The two agencies are to submit to Congress a list of public water systems needing technical support

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Buy America, Build America • Extends "Buy American" requirements to include not only steel and iron products, but also "manufactured products" and "construction materials" • "Produced" in the United States means a product was manufactured in the U.S., and the cost of its components that are mined, produced or manu-

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| |trwd program swift program| |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 | trwd program watershed partners to better understand how private lands are managed and to develop long-term watershed goals.

Initially, cooperative agreements brought together federal, state, and local land management and conservation experts to promote common understanding of critical issues and provide a mechanism to combine efforts and programs. Through time, partnerships have grown to include academia, agricultural and other businesses, nonprofit organizations, and members of the public with common natural resource goals. TRWD continues to engage natural resource agencies and others to complement, but not replace, local knowledge and expertise.

Watershed-scale planning and management of large watersheds can be expensive, and cost-prohibitive for any single entity. Public funding sources are the most

common mechanism utilized by TRWD and its partners to bring both technical and financial assistance to watershed landowners looking to engage in conservation. Most assistance comes by way of Federal sources such as the USDA Farm Bill programs, which emphasizes direct, local engagement with landowners and land managers. Funding for specific projects or practices are supplemented with funding from the sustainability interests of corporations, nonprofit organizations, and private foundations. Over the past 20 years, TRWD has also contributed more than $2.6 million to enhance these programs and support implementation of agricultural practices in its reservoir watersheds.

TRWD also maintains in-house staff to advance watershed protection efforts by supporting development and implementation of voluntary watershed management programs. To promote longCONTINUED PAGE 26 | trwd program

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2021 | 25 |

| trwd program |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 | trwd program term adoption of watershed planning strategies, watershed program staff engage with landowners and communities through landowner workshops, presentations and messaging at community events, and demonstration projects.

TRWD also couples its system-wide water quality monitoring program with watershed and stormwater modeling to measure and better understand environmental impacts of watershed processes and activities. These tools also help predict the effects of land management scenarios on reservoir health, and are valuable in communicating complex environmental processes to stakeholders.

The true strength of TRWD’s watershed protection program lies in implementation of scientifically based decisions by watershed stakeholders. As the science of watershed management continues to improve, tools and technical information provided by TRWD help stakeholders determine priority areas for conservation and identify cost effective, locally acceptable, and

environmentally meaningful management practices.

Successes of the partnerships and conservation work being conducted in these watersheds have resulted in designation of two major TRWD watersheds as Texas NRCS State Priorities, and additional funding and support through the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI). TRWD will continue to leverage these successes to promote and advance conservations efforts, such as applied research, innovative projects and practices, guidance, education, funding, and new partnerships.

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| 26 | WINTER 2021 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

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| subcommittee |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 | subcommittee Resources Subcommittee led by Kimberly Horndeski (Chair) in conjunction with Kyle Wright (NRCS governmental representative) and the 24 representatives, with a diverse range of knowledge, experience and perspectives, representing 15 different organizations were able to provide a single recommendation, within three months, defining priority areas throughout the great State of Texas that would receive the approximately 7 million dollars from the Farm Bill.

Our success comes from the true dedication of each of the representatives that willingly volunteer to serve on the Water Resources Subcommittee. Together, through a facilitated modified Structure Decision Making process led by Kimberly, the Water Resources Subcommittee was able to develop a scoring criterion based on the primary concerns identified by the Water Resources Subcommittee members that could conservation practices could address for source water protection. This process allowed, as participants explained, for the "science to speak for itself" when the

final recommendation was developed. No one agency or organization was able to push their specific agenda at the expense of others. Instead, the Water Resources Subcommittee worked as a unified entity to tackle the problem, not each other to develop a single supported recommendation.

Though a single recommendation was created and supported two years in a row, the members of the Water Resources Subcommittee know there is more work to be done. We recognize the need to include more information on water quantity (such as on frequent and intense droughts), water quality and groundwater when defining our priorities areas for source water protection. We recognize we face real limitations and challenges. We are willing to face these challenges and work together to serve the people of Texas.

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| 28 | WINTER 2021 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| dwsrf |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 | dwsrf State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program, which awards capitalization grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico. A portion of the capitalization grants can be used as "set-asides" to support non-infrastructure activities, including source water protection. DWSRF programs can use set-asides to develop and implement Source Water Protection Programs, delineate and assess source water protection areas, and finance a variety of local land use controls and other management tools for source water protection.

The full range of source water protection activities eligible for DWSRF set-aside funding is described in a separate EPA fact sheet identified in the additional resources box.

DWSRF Assistance The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) can provide financial assistance to publicly-owned and privately-owned community water systems, as well as

non-profit non-community water systems, for drinking water infrastructure projects including cybersecurity measures. Projects must either facilitate the system’s compliance with national primary drinking water regulations or significantly further the health protection objectives of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico operates its CONTINUED PAGE 30 | dwsrf Additional Source Water Protection Resources: EPA’s Source Water Protection page: epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection EPA’s Fact Sheet on Source Water Protection Using Set-Asides: epa.gov/dwsrf/protecting-sourcewater-dwsrf-set-asides The Clean Water SRF Program: epa.gov/cwsrf The Source Water Collaborative: sourcewatercollaborative.org USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/ national/home/

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2021 | 29 |

| dwsrf |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 | dwsrf own DWSRF program. They receive annual capitalization grants from the EPA, which in turn provide low-interest loans and other types of assistance to water systems.

Repayments of DWSRF loans begin 18 months after project completion, with loan terms up to 30 years for most communities, or up to 40 years for disadvantaged communities.

Additionally, states may use a portion of their capitalization grant from the EPA as "set-asides" to help communities build the technical, managerial, and financial capacities of their systems. With an emphasis on small systems, these funds help ensure sustainable infrastructure and public health investments.

Local Assistance Set-Aside Loans for Source Water Protection The Local Assistance and Other State Programs setaside (i.e., 15%) can be used to provide loans to water systems for source water protection. Specifically, these loans can be used to acquire land or conservation

easements needed to protect drinking water sources and for local planning and implementation of voluntary, incentive-based source water protection measures. Repaid loans may be recycled back into the set-aside account to fund other source water protection loans or to the state’s infrastructure loan fund. States can provide principal forgiveness or negative interest rates for these loans using the Congressional additional subsidy authority. Any principal forgiveness or negative interest provided through source water protection loans counts toward the state’s maximum allowable additional subsidy under the DWSRF. Acquisition of Land or Conservation For some communities, an effective way to protect the quality of drinking water sources is through land ownership or restricted land uses. These efforts focus on watersheds or ground water recharge areas where development or other activities could impair the quality of the source water. States can use DWSRF setaside funds to provide loans to water systems for the following land use controls:

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| dwsrf |

• Land Acquisition: Purchase of land at or below the fair market value to control the types of activities that can take place.

• Conservation Easement: A Legal agreement with a landowner that permanently protects the land by limiting the amount and type of development that can take place but continues to leave the land in private ownership. Landowners typically sell conservation easements to a land conservation organization or government entity. Landowners who instead donate an easement may benefit from reduced income/estate taxes.

Land acquisition and conservation easements can prevent activities that may degrade water quality from occurring in critical areas. They can also provide additional community benefits such as preserving open space, enhancing recreational opportunities, and reducing flood damage.

Source Water Protection Measures Some communities are focusing their protection efforts on local, voluntary, and incentive-based source water protection measures. States can use the Local Assistance and Other State Programs set-aside to provide loans to water systems to implement these measures. This approach emphasizes a local stakeholder process to produce a plan for implementing a wide range of local land use controls and management tools, including: • Fencing: Building fences that keep cattle away from the water’s edge can reduce contamination in sources of drinking water and prevent bank erosion.

• Capping Wells: Sealing abandoned ground water wells and underground injection wells can keep contaminants out of ground water aquifers • Riparian Buffers: Strips of vegetation along streams and around reservoirs can significantly reduce the amount of sediment and contaminaCONTINUED PAGE 32 | dwsrf

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2021 | 31 |

| dwsrf |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 | dwsrf tion entering the source water. The vegetation serves as natural filters, and the tree and shrub roots hold stream banks in place to prevent soil erosion.

Partnerships Opportunities DWSRF set-aside loans for land acquisition, conservation easements, and other source water protection measures can only be made to public water systems.

An organization such as a watershed association or land conservancy can become a co-signatory to the loan agreement with the water system. In this arrangement, the organization could help implement the land use control measures around the water sources and take over the responsibility for loan repayment. The loan agreement would describe the specific responsibilities of the organization and the water system with respect to the financial assistance

provided by the state. Such partnerships may complement ongoing work of the organization to preserve parts of a watershed or aquifer recharge area for other purposes.

Additionally, these source water protection loans can leverage other sources of funding. These include the 2018 Farm Bill, EPA’s 319 program, and private lending. There are often partnership opportunities available with land trusts, nonprofit organizations, and others with expertise in land protection issues that could work closely with the water systems.

The following are some examples of the types of activities that land trusts and other organizations can do to facilitate source water protection (eligible activities under other parts of the 15% set-aside): • provide technical assistance to water systems in identifying properties that qualify for funding; • offer expertise in negotiating land acquisitions or conservation easements with willing sellers;

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| 32 | WINTER 2021 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| dwsrf |

• manage land trusts or co nservation easements once they are acquired from a willing seller; and • assist with public outreach efforts to demonstrate the benefits of protecting water supplies within a community.

Sources of Loan Repayment Each state must include approval of a source of loan repayment as part of the application review and approval process. Although finding a source of repayment can prove challenging, it is possible. The source of repayment need not come from the project itself. Loan recipients can be creative in developing sources of repayment.

Some potential repayment sources include: • Drinking water user fees.

• Dedicated portions of local, county, or state taxes or fees.

• State or local government grants.

• Fees paid by developers.

• Recreational use fees.

• Revenue from sustainable timber harvest or other forest products.

• Nutrient credits.

• Donations made to nonprofit groups (in cases when a nonprofit is a co-signatory on a loan).

For more information, visit: epa.gov/dwsrf

Establishing a Priority System for Loans for Source Water Protection Each state that establishes a loan program for land acquisition or conservation easements and source water protection measures must develop a priority-setting process to determine which projects to fund. An important consideration for the priority-setting process would be an evaluation of how the land, easement, or measure to be funded will protect the water supply from contamination and help ensure compliance with national drinking water regulations.

Each state that has established a loan program has developed a unique priority system for ranking projects. Many of these priority systems include the requirement that the land be within a delineated source water or wellhead protection area.

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2021 | 33 |

| letter from the texas section chair |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 | letter from the texas section chair 200 BWNs during Hurricane Harvey) were announced, resulting in a public deeply resentful and furious about the State’s lack of electrical resiliency. While much of the legislature’s attention focused on regulating ERCOT, eventually lawmakers included provisions impacting the water industry and passed Senate Bill 3.

The bill essentially requires all affected utilities to provide emergency operations during extended power outages lasting more than 24 hours, so that minimum pressures of 20 psi are maintained. My hometown of Houston had its version of the bill in 2011, when then State Senator Dan Patrick of the Houston area marched SB 361 through the legislature after Hurricane Ike. Sadly, significant legislative action only seems to happen after lives are lost or the public is highly inconvenienced. Unfortunately, these changes often come with a limited financial means to sustain them.

Stay tuned for more webinars and updates from the

Section as this challenge will continue to be a source of debate, frustration, and labor for our respective organizations.

Before closing, I would like to highlight an incredible initiative that is gaining more and more momentum across our industry. The Source Water Protection (SWP) initiative is proving to be a successful consolidator of people from all walks of life and political spectrums.

What could be more altruistic than protecting precious watersheds for communities to enjoy, while ensuring that our future generations have access to more green space.

Keeping watersheds protected satisfies a wide variety of professional organizations from land conservancies, bayou preservations, and various wildlife foundations to sportsman, who simply appreciate hunting and fishing activities. It appeals to the outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy walking, hiking and cycling in these green spaces. It appeals to municipal leaders who are charged with providing clean water for their customers. One may ask, what is the connection between forests and clean drinking water? For starters,

| 34 | WINTER 2021 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| letter from the texas section chair |

forested areas and wetlands act as a natural filter by removing particulates and sediments from the run-off that occurs during storm events. Additionally, these eco-systems minimize erosion and mitigate impacts from flooding events. When these types of SWP features are implemented near water bodies adjacent to water treatment plants, they can minimize the extreme variations in water quality parameters normally experienced during storm events.

The Texas Section of AWWA is leading the way in this initiative by promoting webinars focused on helping our water community identify funding to support these programs. So, who are the trailblazers in our State?

Just to name a few, how about Daniel Nix in Wichita Falls, for his work to create a watershed subcommittee within the Natural Resource Conservation Service to help direct funding from USDA towards the improvement of water quality and quantity projects in Texas. How about Hughes Simpson with the Texas A&M Forestry Service, who is engaged in educating landowners about the value of maintaining healthy forests and partnering with nonprofit organizations?

How about Jill Boullion and her leadership with the Bayou Land Conservancy, where she has helped protect over 10,000 acres of land in urban areas of southeast Texas. These are just a few of the many admirable trailblazers in our State. Stay tuned, there is a lot more to come…

Submit award nominations for Texas WaterTM 2022!

Watermark Awards Water Conservation and Reuse Awards Deadlines: January 31, 2022 Apply online!

www.txwater.org

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2021 | 35 |

| new members |

TAWWA Welcomes New Members Joining Oct. 1–Nov. 15, 2021 Hussein Al Qaraghuli San Antonio, TX

Karalee Corbeil Bryan, TX

Wilson Haynes Frisco, TX

James Little Justin, TX

Miranda Niedzwiecki Wichita Falls, TX

Joe Walsh Kennedale, TX

Muhammad Umer Alvi Houston, TX

Susan Daniels Coldspring, TX

Scott Mack Port Aransas, TX

Abbigayle Otteson Denton, TX

Linlin Wang Tomball, TX

Eduardo Anzueto San Antonio, TX

Yuren Feng Houston, TX

Improved Piping Products Inc. San Antonio, TX

Rebecca Mangum Richmond, TX

Jon Pulver San Antonio, TX

Bruce Waters Rio Hondo, TX

Eunice Babatunde San Marcos, TX

Cindy Figueroa College Station, TX

Randal Manus Westworth Village, TX

Shanice Robinson Wichita Falls, TX

Shane Wheeler Tyler, TX

Angela Barrera Harlingen, TX

Earl Foster Lakeway, TX

Kat Marotta Corpus Christi, TX

Himanshu Sail Austin, TX

Nick Winkelmann Corpus Christi, TX

Dylan Blackshear Dallas, TX

Nathan Frohman North Richland Hills, TX

Jeff Meadows Austin, TX

Amanda Tate Burleson, TX

Eric Worley White Settlement, TX

Dennis Brown White Settlement, TX

Pratiwi Fudlailah College Station, TX

Matthew Ming College Station, TX

Jennifer Trevino The Woodlands, TX

Xinyi Yi Houston, TX

Allison Buffington College Station, TX

Gary Harsley Dalworthington Gardens, TX

Michael Murphy Corpus Christi, TX

Roger Viticoski San Antonio, TX

Bin Yu Houston, TX

Logan Newsom Bryan, TX

Caroline Waggoner North Richland Hills, TX

Austin Burkhart Anna, TX

Nella Jahan West Lake Hills, TX Achla Jha Bryan, TX Wes Kemp Bee Cave, TX Misty Klein Austin, TX Jeffrey Lange Houston, TX Dong Li Katy, TX

| 36 | WINTER 2021 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| groundwater issues | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 | groundwater issues There is also a current Regional Conservation Partnership Program (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/ national/programs/financial/rcpp/) in Kansas focused on recharging the Ogallala Aquifer in the western counties of Greeley and Wichita – an area where the aquifer is 65 percent depleted and continues to decline. The goal of this voluntary RCPP project is to bring together a diverse partnership and link conservation efforts to increase irrigation efficiency, strategically retire water rights, convert some areas to dryland farming, and restore playa wetlands that contribute to groundwater recharge.

Projects like these are occurring around the country and helping improve both surface and groundwaters used for drinking water.

Reducing the amount of nutrients and sediments entering source waters also helps reduce treatments costs.

Working together in partnership with agriculture makes sense not only from an investment standpoint, but it also helps improve the sustainability and economic prosperity of farms and ranches.

Water Professionals: We Appreciate Your Service AWWA wants to thank water professionals around the world for their hard work, sacrifice, and dedication in providing safe and clean water during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Thank you for all that you do, now and always.

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2021 | 37 |

| thankful |

We are thankful for our members and their tireless commitment to providing water to the communities they serve. One of those members is Southwest Water Company, who provides holiday meals to customers within their Affordability Program through Project Wishbone.

Since 1913, HR Green has provided solutions that build communities and improve lives.

Visit www.tawwa.org to see upcoming events in your area!

Want to see your ad here?

Advertise in TEXASh2o!

Call Tracy at 512-251-8101 today!

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| 38 | WINTER 2021 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| | calendar calendar |

What’s Happening Across Texas DATE

ACTIVITY

TIME

LOCATION

INFORMATION

JAN 31

Watermark & Conservation and Reuse Award Deadlines

FEB 15

Capital Area Chapter Seminar

Austin Water Center for Environmental Research at Hornsby Bend 2210 South FM 973, Austin, TX 78725

www.tawwa.org

APR 4-7

Texas WaterTM 2022

Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio

www.txwater.org

Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio

https://www. awwa.org/ace/

JUN 12-15 ACE22

www.txwater.org

Want to share your event with the Texas water community?

Contact Mike Howe, 512-238-9292, or mikehowe@tawwa.org.

Check the Section’s website, www.tawwa.org, for the latest information on Section activities.

Texas H20 Ad_2.pdf 1 4/25/2019 3:59:00 PM

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