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| New - A summary of
an article on a water source solution by the city council in Albuquerque NM. They
have an endangered minnow in the Rio Grande River and are prevented from taking water from
that source as water in their aquifer is depleted. Sound familiar? You
will ask why the San Antonio city council cannot come up with better water solutions than
the pathetic Applewhite Reservoir. Read More |
New- A summary of the
technical report on Guadalupe River Stream flow and its relationship to the Trinity
Aquifer written for the lay person.
Concerning the pumping restrictions of the Edwards Aquifer to preserve an endangered
minnow in Comal Springs, at this time we must be thankful for the endangered species law. Until the relationship between the Trinity
Aquifer and the Edwards Aquifer is better understood, the level of the Edwards must be
restricted to a high level. There is a
possibility that pulling down the water level in the Edwards causes excessive drainage of
the Trinity as the Trinity Aquifer is sucking the Guadalupe River dry in an unprecdented
manner.
We all
know, that given the choice of drying up wells in Comal County and watering their St.
Augustine grass, the residents of Bexar County will water the grass. Just
check the list of top water abusers that appeared in the Express-News November 20,
2000. Short of anything else to control water use in Bexar County we who depend on
the Trinity aquifer must say, “all hail
the minnow.” Read More |
| Is the drought over
- During the worst drought of
record, 1952 - 1957 there were two floods. One on Sept 11, 1952 when the Spring
Branch gage read 44,600 cubic feet per second (cfs). The river ran above 100 cfs
until the summer of 1953 when the flow dropped to 1.2 cfs - essentially a dry river.
On April 25, 1957 the flow at Spring Branch reached 15,400 cfs and the river flow
dropped to 15 cfs the following summer. There were numerous times during this
drought that river flow reached 2000 to 3000 cfs - usually during winter months - but the
Guadalupe River went bone dry for months at a time during the summer. The peak flow at Spring Branch on November 4, 2000 was
14,000 cfs when it rained 4 inches in 2 hours in some areas. Subsequent rains give
us hope that the drought has ended. Time will tell. The point is
that one big rainfall does not end a drought. It takes a little rain
each month. |
Are Long Dry Periods in the Hill Country and a Dry Guadalupe River
Unusual - You Decide - In addition to the drought of
the 50's, the Guadalupe went dry at Spring Branch in 1963 and 1964. Flow was as low
as 1.4 cfs in 1984, under 5 cfs in 1996 and 2000 and since 1939 has dropped below 50 cfs
frequently in summer months. Drought is a way of life in the Hill Country. Drought
can be counted on and must be planned for. Planning for a dry summer is not worst
case planning. The worst drought of record is 5 years and occurred in the
past 50 years. Multi-year droughts of 10 years should be considered worst
case. Albuquerque's water plan uses a 10 year drought but Texas water planners seem
to think that because we have had a 5 year drought that is all we need to plan for.
God help us all. |
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