The stakeholder meeting for the Blossom Aquifer and Nacatoch Aquifer brackish groundwater mapping projects will be held on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Texas A&M Commerce Rayburn Student Center, Room #233, located at 2600 W. Neal Street, Commerce, Texas 75428.
In 2015, the 84th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 30 directing the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to identify and designate brackish groundwater production zones in the state’s aquifers. Brackish groundwater is groundwater that is not fresh, ranging from 1,000 parts per million of total dissolved solids (the top end of fresh water) to 10,000 parts per million (seawater is about 35,000 parts per million).
The bill requires the TWDB to (1) determine the amount of brackish groundwater that a brackish groundwater production zone is capable of producing over 30- and 50-year periods without causing a significant impact to water availability or water quality, (2) provide recommendations for reasonable monitoring to observe the effects of brackish groundwater production, and (3) work with groundwater conservation districts and stakeholders in this effort.
Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend and participate. Presentation topics will include the following:
- Opening remarks by the TWDB contract manager
- Introduction to project team, objectives, and methods
- Discussion of the aquifer, including:
– Classification of brackish groundwater salinity
– Evaluation of potential production areas
– Modeling of the potential production areas - Questions, comments, and input from stakeholders
Because the state’s databases do not include all water wells, it is particularly important for us to hear how people may or may not be using brackish groundwater.
The presentation and a summary of questions and answers from the meeting will be posted on the TWDB website. Additional information about the projects can be found at
www.twdb.texas.gov/innovativewater/bracs/projects/HB30_Blossom/index.asp and
www.twdb.texas.gov/innovativewater/bracs/projects/HB30_Nacatoch/index.asp.
If you have any questions or need more information, please do not hesitate to contact me or the TWDB staff listed below:
Blossom Aquifer: Alan Andrews (512-475-0470; [email protected])
Nacatoch Aquifer: Jean Broce-Perez (512-936-4017; [email protected])