The Texas Instream Flow Program

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The TexasInstream Flow Program

• Barney Austin
• Surface Water Resources Division
• Texas Water Development Board

Halloween 2005
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Senate Bill 2

• The Texas Legislature directed tri-agencies
  (TPWD, TWDB, and TCEQ) to
• Establish and continuously maintain an instream
  flow data collection and evaluation program, and
• Develop methodologies to determine flow
  conditions in Texas rivers and streams necessary
  to support a sound ecological environment.

3
Senate Bill 2

• Framework for Instream Flow Study Program
  requires tri-agencies to
• Share oversight of program studies.
• Share data, studies, analysis, information and
  reports.
• Establish a Work Plan that prioritizes studies
  and sets interim deadlines for publication of
  flow determinations, and
• Complete priority studies by December 31, 2010.

4
Senate Bill 2

• Framework for Instream Flow Study also
• Requires TCEQ to consider the results of
  completed studies in its review of any management
  plans, water rights, or interbasin transfers.

5

• Joint study accomplishments
• Interagency MOA
• (Executed Oct 17, 2002)
• Programmatic Work Plan
• (Final Dec 19, 2002)
• NAS contract (July 30, 2003)
• Technical Overview
• (Draft August 8, 2003)

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(No Transcript)
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Summary of Agency Roles

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Texas Instream Flow Studies
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Timeframes for Priority Studies
Toledo Bend
Sabine R.
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National Academy of Sciences

• Evaluate science and methodology in key documents
• Review and provide advice on scientific and
  technical matters relevant to the Instream Flow
  Program
• Evaluate findings and recommendations of Tasks 1
  and 2 for consistency with the requirements of
  Texas law for the study of Instream Flows

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NAS Committee

• 11 national experts, including
• Dr. David Maidment (UT)
• Dr. Kirk Winemiller (TAMU)
• Dr. Thomas Hardy (Utah)

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NAS Public meetings

• Austin Oct 2003
• San Antonio Jan 2004
• San Marcos Mar 2004
• Final report released in March 2005

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Summary (the good stuff)

• The state of Texas shows an impressive
  commitment to designing and implementing an
  instream flow program

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Summary (the good stuff)

• The Texas agencies are commended for proposing a
  prospective, comprehensive instream flow
  programthe program will provide enormous
  benefits to the state over the next several
  decades and beyond.

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Ten Major Recommendations

• Definition of sound ecological environment
• Need to define clear and specific goals
• A suite of measurable, ecological indicators is
  needed
• Consistent spatial scale and level of detail
  between elements is needed.
• Clearer process by which the individual technical
  evaluations will be integrated into instream flow
  recommendations is needed.
• The instream flow program should be integrated
  with the water quality, water permitting, and
  other water-related programs in Texas.
• Need for an independent, interdisciplinary,
  periodic peer review process

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Stakeholder involvement

• Meeting on Sept 30th
• Help finalize the Technical Overview document
• Participation in basin studies
• Not yet ready for prime time
• Will need to reconsider in light of the
  Executive Order.

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October 28th - Executive Order

• The Environmental Flows Advisory Committeemake
  recommendations for commission action and
  legislation on methods for making future
  decisions to protect instream flows and
  freshwater inflows, while integrating such needs
  with human needsusing the Study Commission
  report as a starting point.
• The Committee shall develop recommendations to
  establish a process that will achieve a
  consensus-based, regional approach to integrate
  environmental flow protection with flows for
  human needs.
• The Committee may appoint three or four local or
  regional stakeholder advisory councils
  prioritized by basin/bay system and a science
  advisory council of five members to provide
  technical expertise.

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Thank you!
http//www.twdb.state.tx.us/InstreamFlows/