Edwards Aquifer groups move to create wildlife conservation plan for species

The organizations backing the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program agreed on Thursday to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan to protect the Edwards Aquifer and related endangered species.

The Habitat Conservation Plan will outline long-term actions that will be implemented to protect endangered species. The organizations behind the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program, called stakeholders, include water utilities, cities, groundwater conservation districts, agricultural users, industrial users and state and federal agencies. A contractor should be retained by September to assist them in preparing the Habitat Conservation Plan. The results of the Habitat Conservation Plan should be completed and available for review sometime this fall.

To date, the local stakeholders have contributed $775,000 toward developing the plan — which will study the impacts of aquifer management, flooding, recreation and other activities of the species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also awarded another $1 million toward the development of the plan and the Texas Legislature recently set aside $1.69 million to the Texas Water Development Board, if needed, to ensure that state and federal requirements are being met.

In 2007, the Texas Legislature mandated the creation of the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program as a way to protect federally listed endangered or threatened species while managing the use of the Edwards Aquifer. The entire process has a deadline of Sept. 1, 2012, to be completed.

San Antonio Business Journal