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Region J - Plateau

2001 Regional Water Plan Overview

Basic Plan Facts

This sparsely populated planning area is projected to witness a 70% population growth between 2000 and 2050
Total capital cost of proposed water supply measures: $82.3 million
No new reservoirs proposed

What's at Issue?

This region has high per capita usage rates, and the management of these rates is not included as a strategy to meet future demands. To meet projected demands, there is a shifting of emphasis from using surface water supplies to groundwater resources. Due to a lack of data and research, it is unknown how this shift will affect the flows of the regional springs which feed many of the area's rivers.

Action Items

Here are some of the items the Region J Planning Group must address.

Conservation and Drought Management
For conservation and drought management, the plan needs to...

Include conservation measures as a strategy to meet demands. The plan doesn't discuss the adequacy of current conservation levels or recommend any additional water-saving measures. The average municipal per capita water usage rate is 221 gallons per person per day, which is extremely high. For example, Corpus Christi averages 141 gpcd and San Antonio 147 gpcd.
Develop a drought management plan.

Environmental Flows
To secure the protection of flows for fish and wildlife, the plan needs to...

Discuss how current water development projects and existing permits affect environmental flows, and assess the incremental impacts of new projects on these flows.
Include information on the nature of the major springs and the habitats they support.
Designate stream segments in the region that meet the criteria as having "unique ecological value". No segments were designated in the 2001 plan. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department recommends 20 segments for designation in this region.

Economics
To ensure that only the most economically sound water supply strategies are implemented, the plan needs to...

Compare the costs and benefits of the supply alternatives in a consistent and reasonable manner.

Online Resources

Regional water plan documents can be located on the TWDB website. Additional information may also be found on the region's website.

TWDB Regional Water Planning Website
The 2001 Region J Water Plan

Analysis

The National Wildlife Federation analyzed the initially prepared plan using their Principles for an Environmentally Sound Regional Water Plan. Please contact us for more information about this analysis.