Sidebar: How sites were evaluated
Media contacts:  Robert Cullick, 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 4086, or Merrell Foote, Ext. 3234

AUSTIN – LCRA announced today (Sept. 6) that it has identified a portion of Pierce Ranch in Wharton County as its preferred site for a holding basin to capture and store excess and unused water for the proposed LCRA-SAWS Water Project.

The owners of the ranch have signed a preliminary agreement that provides LCRA an option to purchase about 4,200 acres of the ranch for the holding basin. The purchase price will be determined at the time LCRA exercises the option to purchase the land. The agreement is subject to approval by the LCRA Board of Directors.

In May 2006 LCRA identified six other sites in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties as potential locations for the holding basin. Landowners of these sites have been notified that LCRA no longer will consider their property as a preferred holding basin site for the project.

The LCRA Board adopted a resolution in September 2006 directing staff on key issues related to the project, including land acquisition. The Board emphasized the need to respect property owners’ rights, seek willing sellers and offer fair compensation for land. The owners’ willingness to sell was one of several key factors considered by LCRA in selecting the site.

“The LCRA Board instructed staff to respect the rights of private landowners and to use eminent domain as a last resort for this project. This agreement is a great example of how LCRA’s land acquisition process is intended to work,” said LCRA Board Chair Ray Wilkerson.

Site a good choice because of several factors
“From the beginning of this project, LCRA’s goal has been to buy property from willing sellers,” said LCRA General Manager Joe Beal. “This is a key reason for choosing the ranch site, but it is not the only reason. The site also is a good choice because it appears to have similar or less environmental and socioeconomic impacts compared to other sites we considered.”

LCRA and the ranch have worked cooperatively for many years to serve agricultural irrigation customers. In 2000 LCRA purchased water rights from the ranch and acquired an option to buy a specific portion of the ranch for future water development. LCRA considered building the holding basin on that site but decided against it because the site is too small and is located in the 100-year floodplain.

The landowners recently agreed to transfer LCRA’s option to a more suitable location on the ranch. LCRA chose this site only after evaluating the project’s potential environmental, technical, socioeconomic and financial impact at all the sites being studied.

“We are pleased to be participating in a project which may well set the standard for future interbasin cooperation in the challenge of providing water from surplus to deficit areas in the state of Texas,” said Laurance Armour III, ranch manager and trustee.

An intake structure, pumps and pipelines to convert and convey water from the river to the holding basin also would be located at the ranch if LCRA builds the holding basin. In the coming months LCRA will conduct site-specific technical studies and will study potential pipeline routes to transport water from the holding basin to SAWS facilities at the Wharton County line. The actual size and design of the holding basin will be developed after the site-specific studies and other project studies are completed.

The LCRA Board also directed staff to develop recommendations to mitigate, or offset, impacts of the project, such as tax revenue loss. LCRA will develop a mitigation plan for the holding basin and related facilities when more is known about their actual size and design.

The proposed LCRA-SAWS Water Project would help meet long-term water needs in the lower Colorado River basin and the San Antonio area by conserving water used for agriculture, storing excess and unused surface water supplies in the holding basin for future use, and using groundwater to help meet agricultural irrigation needs when surface water is lacking.

In-depth study
LCRA and SAWS are in the fourth year of an in-depth study of the project’s technical, environmental and financial feasibility. After the study period, scheduled to end no later than 2015, the LCRA Board will determine if the project protects and benefits the river basin as required by House Bill 1629, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2001. The SAWS Board will decide if the project’s cost and water supply are acceptable.

During the study period, LCRA and SAWS also will determine if the project can obtain federal, state and local permits. LCRA and SAWS plan to file an application in 2009 with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a federal permit for the entire project, including the holding basin and related facilities. The application must describe all the potential sites studied and the evaluation process and criteria used to assess them.

The Corps will review the application, the analysis of the potential sites, and the proposed project and facilities. The Corps also will seek public input during the review. The final location of the holding basin will not be determined until the Corps completes the federal review process and determines whether to issue a permit. This process will take time.

“This is the site we are putting forth in the permit application we plan to file with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but ultimately it is the Corps’ decision on whether to approve the site and issue the permit,” Beal said.

LCRA plans to hold a project update meeting in Wharton County later this fall to discuss project studies and developments with stakeholders, residents and the public. To receive meeting notices and to learn more about the project, subscribe to a free e-mail newsletter at www.lcra.org/lswp/. To receive the newsletter by mail, call 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 7208.