SAN MARCOS RIVER FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER VOL. 12, NO. 3
Printed Quarterly -- July 8, 2002

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

We have just entered a new phase in SMRF's organization as a result of our efforts to pursue our ambitious water right permit application to keep water in our beautiful San Marcos River and flowing to the coastal estuaries and bays. This effort will require considerable human and financial capital (particularly since this year's endowment investment performance is less than other years because of the present bear market) to go through the permitting process with powerful protestants opposing us. To become eligible for large grants, we need to have a full-time staff member to obtain and administer grants. Thus, the Board decided to activate the paid position of Executive Director as provided for in our Bylaws, and hired the obvious choice for the position---then-President Dianne Wassenich. Since our Bylaws do not permit paid staff to serve on the Board, Dianne resigned and the Board elected past-President Jack Fairchild to take over as President. Dianne has her work cut out for her to oversee the water rights project and find financial resources to fund it as well as her own salary. She has already obtained several large grants for SMRF projects. I know all our members will help her in any way they can to make our effort successful.

As usual, there are many exciting SMRF projects and happenings that are ongoing, and they are discussed in more detail in this newsletter for your information. See the articles inside about volunteers needed to help with the TPWD wild rice survey July 8-12 and the USFWS effort to remove exotic weeds from the river below Thompson's Island in August.

We are succeeding in getting our river preservation message out, as evidenced by the American Rivers organization's April designation of the Guadalupe and San Marcos River System as one of the 10 Most Endangered river systems in America for 2002. See their website at www.americanrivers.org if you missed last quarter's newsletter about that. Also, we are honored to announce SMRF's selection by the Sierra Club for the Evelyn R. Edens Award for River Conservation Work! Read about this exciting news on page two.

Jack Fairchild, President of the Board

[back to top]

GRANDE GRANT FOR NEWSLETTER PRINTING AND MAILING

This newsletter's printing and mailing costs were covered by a grant from Grande Communications. Grande is a San Marcos-based broadband company serving homes and businesses throughout the I-35 corridor with high-speed Internet service, local and long distance telephone services and cable entertainment . They currently serve customers in Austin, Corpus Christi, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, San Marcos and Waco.

Grande Networks, Grande's wholesale division in San Marcos, sells a variety of network services to top national competitive telecommunications and Internet companies. Their ten-year history in telecommunications gave Grande the expertise to introduce Central Texas' first regional fiber network. The San Marcos office has 200+ employees.

They provided the funding for this SMRF July newsletter because Grande is committed to making each community they serve a better place to live, according to Libby Malone, Grande's community representative. Many SMRF members will remember Malone from the series of Neighborhood Council meetings at which Grande provided refreshments recently. Their employee-led Passion & Commitment Investment Club has donated more than $150,000 to Central Texas nonprofit efforts, with $22,900 going from this fund to organizations in San Marcos just since January 2002. SMRF certainly appreciates this Grande assistance in this year of low interest income for the SMRF endowment fund, as well as the donations of all the businesses and individuals who help SMRF carry on important conservation and education projects. (See page 3 for info on more donations and grants.)

EVELYN R. EDENS AWARD FOR RIVER CONSERVATION WORK TO BE AWARDED TO SMRF

On July 20, the Sierra Club will have a state awards banquet after an all day conference on Open Space for Texas that will be held at the Armand Bayou Nature Center in Houston. Several awards will be given and SMRF will accept the Evelyn R. Edens Award. Ms. Edens was an environmentalist from Fort Worth who worked to protect the Brazos River. She died in 1993 and this award for river conservation work in Texas is named for her. Call SMRF at 512-393-3787 in San Marcos if you wish to register for the conference or the banquet, to get the forms to do so. The deadline to register is July 16---$15 for the conference, and $35 for the awards banquet. SMRF is very honored by this state-wide recognition.

MEETING JULY 18 AT FREEMAN BUILDING, 6 P.M.

The board of SMRF, and any members or visitors who wish to attend, will meet on the third Thursday in July for the quarterly board meeting in the SWT Freeman Bldg., across from Joe's Crab Shack on Sessom Drive. The parking lot is immediately in front of the building on Sessom near the University Drive bridge across the San Marcos River, where Sessom Street begins.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR WILD RICE SURVEY IN RIVER JULY 8-12 OR AFTER

With recent flooding there may be a postponement of this scheduled annual survey of the wild rice stands in the San Marcos River, starting at the river's beginning in Spring Lake. A notice about postponement has not yet been received at press time, so if you wish to help with this weeklong survey by standing in the river holding measuring tapes or offering bankside support, please let SMRF know by emailing wassenich@sanmarcos.net or by phone, 512-393-3787. If flows are too high that week, it will happen the following week. The river flows may be high, but the flow has already cleared out the mud from last week's flooding.

[back to top]

FLOODING, RIVER GAUGES, AND MORE RAIN

The progress of this newsletter was interrupted constantly by lightning and thunder in the past week. The tropical storm that was spinning around central Texas in early July, dumped as much as 40+ inches of rain in some spots over the week of heaviest rain. Flooding on the Blanco, San Marcos, Guadalupe, Medina and San Antonio rivers, plus every small creek in the area has added up to unprecedented levels in some areas west of San Marcos. Canyon Lake and Medina Lake have ended up with the highest levels seen since those dams were built. Medina Lake dam is suffering some cracks and erosion, being 90 years old, straining the faith of downstream cities, causing thousands to evacuate in case of dam failure. Canyon Dam used its spillway next to the dam for the first time in its four decade history, which flooded New Braunfels terribly. San Antonio River is seeing the highest rises in its history, even more than 1998. Many people have lost their lives and their homes.

In the face of all that, the rises on the Blanco and San Marcos rivers have been less frightening. But the series of seven Blanco rises have made a long difficult week for riverside residents who were seeking some understanding of how high the rises were expected to be. The January '02 newsletter went into great detail about the USGS website with real-time river gauges in Wimberley and Kyle, which give readings every fifteen minutes. There is a big long stretch of river between the confluence of the Blanco and San Marcos, and Luling where the next gauge is located. Refer to the SMRF website at www.sanmarcosriver.org to look at the article in the January newsletter, to learn how to use the USGS website river gauges to anticipate river levels downstream. For further assistance call 512-393-3787 or email wassenich@sanmarcos.net.

The following is a shortened version by Dr. Jack Fairchild that may help make finding the website simpler. For comparison purposes, remember that the highest rise on the Blanco of this flood week, on July 5, was 66,600 cfs in Wimberley, 50,000 cfs in Kyle. And, as a cautionary note, electricity and internet service can be lost during flooding periods, so get a NOAA weather radio, too. Don't just rely on the USGS data, as the gauges can malfunction.

Use www.cr.usgs.gov

1. In the "Data Online" section, under "Real-time Water Data", click "stream"

2. Scroll down to the "Guadalupe River Basin" section, and within this section, click on Site No. 08171000 (Blanco River at Wimberley) or any other location you want the data.

3. On the next screen, under "available parameters", click on "discharge" and "gage height" to get both values or one or the other if you just want one.

4. On the same screen, under "Output format", scroll to "Table" to get a table of values of discharge and/or gage height for every 15 minutes for the previous 7 days to the latest reading. If you just want two days, change that.

5. Click on "Get data" button. Wait, the next screen has a table of discharge and/or gage height values, and the very bottom of the screen has the current info.

If so many people are using the website that getting the table of info is difficult at a crucial point, an alternative way to get a reading is by: clicking on "NWS River Forecast" under "News" on the USGS homepage. Click "Guadalupe" under "Rivers" to the left of the map. Click on the red dot next to WMBT2 (Wimberley) on map. Data (gage height and flow) appears in reverse chronological order.

DONATIONS AND GRANTS AND BIG THANK YOU'S

SMRF hosted Joe Adams of Union Pacific Railroad, who visited San Marcos to tube the river and give SMRF a check for $10,000 from Union Pacific Foundation in late June. He also enjoyed a tour of town, the river crossings, historic district, and new railroad and bus station on Guadalupe, as SMRF members filled him in on the many projects that SMRF has been involved in during its 17 year history. See photograph on this page of Joe Adams, SMRF Board President Jack Fairchild, and Dianne Wassenich, SMRF Executive Director.

In other funding news, the Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited group voted to send a memorial to SMRF for Mr. Richard Pruesser, who recently passed away. He owned Bean's Camp on the Guadalupe River. If possible, David Schroeder of the GRTU hopes to be at the SMRF July board meeting to bring the memorial donation and tell the board about Mr. Pruesser and Bean's Camp, a favorite of fishermen like GRTU members.

As this newsletter was sent to press, the Lions Club gave SMRF $1000. Thanks once again, Lions! They donate to SMRF every year, and have done so since SMRF was formed 17 years ago, since they care that the river be protected and monitored. The Lions were one of the largest founding donors of SMRF as well.

A local reggae band, the Carlton Pride Band, held a benefit at the Triple Crown this spring and donated $200 to SMRF's water right project. Thanks to CarltonPride, Triple Crown, the band members Papa Ska, Zeke and John, as well as the audience, for this vote of confidence! This is grass roots fundraising at its best, as Pride, the band, and Triple Crown did this all on their own, with help from their local fan, Dan Praver. Thanks to all!

SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES TODAY WITH SMRF

Around 150 members are on the SMRF email weekly update list. If you want to be included, just send an email to wassenich@sanmarcos.net and we will keep you up to speed on all the local river and water news, and volunteer opportunities. If your email address has changed recently and you are not receiving weekly updates, let SMRF know your new email address today so you don't miss anything important! Those on the email list who live downriver from the often-flooded Blanco confluence found the email list to be a handy way to get updates on expected rises of the river during recent flooding.

TPWD JULY MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO WATER ISSUES IN TEXAS

Try to find a July Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine either at a newstand or at the library, and read all of it. (Don't miss the article about the SMRF water right application on page 19.) It is a great keepsake issue about the State of Water in Texas. Eloquent and sometimes heart-rending articles by several well-known Texas authors, and articles by TPWD staff as well. Not to speak of the most beautiful photos you will ever see of Texas river and bays. Don't miss it.

COLOR BROCHURE ENCLOSED IN NEWSLETTER

SMRF members will find a newly prepared color brochure in their newsletters, hot off the presses. A large printing run of these was done in June, paid for by a grant from the Hobby Family Foundation, to spread the word about the SMRF water right application and the need for preserving instream flows in Texas. If you have a place to distribute some, please call 393-3787 and we will get you a stack of them right away. They could even be inserted in another group's newsletters for mailing, as they are lightweight. San Marcan Teresa Santerre Hobby did the attractive design and layout of the brochure, and photos by many contributors were used, including San Marcan Sally Cummings, who is known for her river paintings. In this case, SMRF borrowed some of her river photos which give her ideas for paintings. Other photos are by a Houston birder and canoer, Debbie Lockey, and a Seadrift shrimper, Janie Blevins. Please use this brochure to spread the word to others about the urgent need for water to be reserved for some flows to remain in rivers, to feed bays and estuaries as well as meet all the human and wildlife needs along the way to the bays. Pass it on, or mail it to someone you think might need to hear about this, and attach a personal note to make it more interesting to them. Thanks for your help in spreading the word about this urgent issue--help get all these brochures out to the public!

[back to top]

WATER QUALITY MONITORING IN EZELL'S CAVE, ASSISTANCE FROM CENTURYTEL

In the last three years, the National Park Service donated a hydrolab and other equipment to monitor water quality constantly in Ezell's Cave, a San Marcos opening to the Edwards Aquifer that is owned by the Nature Conservancy. This equipment has undergone several repairs by Jon Cradit, SMRF board member and volunteer Cave Steward for the Nature Conservancy, with assistance by Marshall Jennings and interns of the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center at SWT. Jennings and Cradit have tried to keep the 24-hour-a-day data feeding to the EARDC website, but recent equipment problems have interrupted it. That connection should be repaired shortly, and water quality information will once again be available from that part of the aquifer.

The equipment is getting old and the damp conditions in the cave are not ideal for the whole system, so if repairs become too frequently needed, SMRF will be seeking grant funding to replace the equipment. For several years, SMRF has paid for electrical, phone, and pager connections for the cave equipment, and for repairs and entering the data in the website. This year, due to low interest income from SMRF's endowment fund, Centurytel has come to the rescue, and funded some of the expected costs and repairs to the equipment, and even sent a repairman to help. Thanks again, Centurytel! (They've also helped with the River Cleanup Barbecue Dinner in March, and the Texas Watch test kits used by volunteer River Rangers to monitor water quality in the river.)

CROCKETT ELEMENTARY STUDENTS STUDY RIVER, FINISH MURAL, GO TUBING

SMRF board members floated on tubes with Crockett Elementary Horizons students and their parents in May to celebrate the end of the semester of river studies these students participated in. Afterwards, there was a picnic and awards ceremony, sponsored by the parents. See SMRF Board member and Crockett parent Jon Cradit in the photograph below, with the laminated river drawing display given to SMRF by the students and their teacher Judy Brown. Brown and librarian Barbara Johnson wrote the San Marcos River curriculum used for these studies, with a grant from SMRF last year, and taught it to many other teachers in an in-service training day last August.

See also the photo of the students with the tubes from the Lions Tube Rental that they used for their tube trip. The Lions provide a group rate for events like this. These are the same elementary students and parents that helped San Marcos High School teacher Sabina Reynolds and the Youth Services Bureau, high school Vocational Art Club, and many other community members of all ages complete the huge tile mosaic mural on the side of the riverbank retaining wall at the City Park in April. Each student received a certificate and a CD/video of their semester's activities. As teacher Judy Brown says, "This is a whole new crop of river researchers who now care about the special treasure San Marcos has in the center of our town."

LAKE DUNLAP WASTEWATER PROTEST IS UNDERWAY

The TNRCC public meeting about the New Braunfels wastewater plant that discharges into the Guadalupe River at Lake Dunlap went very well in April. Good information was passed on by the hundreds in attendance about the wastewater plant permit and how it should be carefully scrutinized by TNRCC before they issue the draft permit. The need for better treatment, in particular phosphorus treatment, was pointed out as being necessary to clean up the algae blooms becoming such a problem in Lake Dunlap and downstream in summer months. Thanks to all SMRF members who mailed in their form letter to TNRCC on this subject. The total was almost 500 letters of protest on this issue by the many groups involved. Four lake groups have joined together to work on getting this plant's discharge cleaned up, including groups protecting Lake Dunlap, Lake McQueeny, Lake Placid, and a coalition of lake organizations. SMRF members are participating as well.

SUPERFUND SITE RESEARCH AND TESTS CONTINUE

The Superfund meeting held by TNRCC in April in San Marcos provided a little more information about the locations where PCE, TCE, MTBE and Benzene are being found in high concentrations around the IH 35 and Highway 123 intersection east of the interstate, and at a spring close to Stokes Park. Apparently the site of the old dry cleaning plant, previously pointed out by area landowners, did not turn up as contaminated. Some new problems, like benzene, were found on the other side of 123 from the spring. TNRCC will be continuing to study and test more spots to see if they can figure out what is going on. Some who attended the meeting brought along old maps of sewer lines that had some soil tests done around them back in '93, saying that perhaps the contamination came from the sewer lines. It looks like continued TNRCC studies will be done, quarterly of the surface waters, and twice annually of the wells around the contaminated area. The next tests were planned for June or July, but SMRF heard from TNRCC at press time that a leg injury and subsequent surgery for the leader of the project, Luda Voskov, has delayed things at least a month. But reassuring news from TNRCC is that the recently completed fish tissue studies came out fine, so they are not going to be cautioning anyone against eating fish caught in this area. The fish are not contaminated by TNRCC or federal standards. SMRF will keep you posted as continuing studies are completed.

HELP WITH EARLY AUGUST REMOVAL PROJECT ON NEW EXOTIC WEED IN RIVER

Volunteers who wish to help with the modified sluice/vacuuming technique that a coalition of agencies and groups will be working on in early August, should notify SMRF at wassenich@sanmarcos.net or 512-393-3787. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department will be leading the removal project at the section of river around the Stokes Park, Thompson's Islands, the state fish hatchery and the San Marcos wastewater plant, below San Marcos. SMRF members will recall the photo of this rapidly multiplying Sri Lankan plant in the January issue of the newsletter, named Cryptocoryne beckettii. The idea is to vacuum out the plant and its roots, screening any debris and searching it for small fish that need to be returned to the river. Exotic catfish that tend to hang out in this particular exotic plant will be removed completely, accomplishing two things with one "vacuuming" project. Remember to tell everyone that aquarium dumping or even bait bucket dumping into the river is a serious problem. Just don't do it. Native species can't compete with exotics.

[back to top]

PLAN NOW TO ATTEND A HEARING ON TPWD DRAFT OR AT LEAST SEND AN EMAIL

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has released the draft Land and Water Resources Conservation Plan, which will serve as the basis for land acquisition, water resource, and other state decisions over the next ten years. TPWD is inviting written comments (to TPWD, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin TX 78744, or emily.armitano@tpwd.state.tx.us and is also holding a series of hearings to take public comment on the draft Plan before it is finalized. As background, it should be noted that TPWD is doing this at the direction of the legislative Sunset process, and the work of TPWD in future years will rely on this plan, so it is very important.

Look on the TPWD website for the draft plan at www.tpwd.state.tx.us. Below is a list of the hearings with date and location, and some topics that Texas Committee on Natural Resources (TCONR) found important for comment. (It is also even easier to send written emailed comments from a form letter already prepared, and one way to do that is through the Sierra Club website. www.lonestar.sierraclub.org. Read on, though, for a little more detail than the Sierra Club form letter gives.)

Water Resources. The TPWD Plan should set specific goals for acquiring water rights and supporting limits on new water diversions so that Texas streams and rivers maintain enough flow to protect water quality, nourish bays and estuaries, and support fish, wildlife, and recreational activities. (Important for SMRF members.)

Land Acquisition. The draft Plan's goal of acquiring four to six new 5,000-acre state parks near major urban areas is an important starting point, but the growth in population projected for Texas suggests a much greater need. TCONR recommends the Plan adopt a goal of 55 acres of state park or wildlife land per 1000 people. This means substantially more than six new parks or wildlife management areas in the next 10 years, to conserve wildlife and provide outdoor recreation for Texas citizens. (Riverside open land is important for filtration of runoff, and to allow space for flooding of rivers, SMRF members might note.)

And a few other things:

PDR's - The draft Plan mentions establishing private lands conservation programs, such as purchase of development rights (PDR's), which would buy development rights from willing landowners. The purpose would be to help landowners conserve wildlife, water, and Texas' traditional way of life, rather than having to sell family lands for subdivision. The draft Plan fails to include this in its list of specific recommendations.

Financing - the draft plan fails to identify mechanisms for funding programs it recommends.
Local Parks - the draft needs to set measurable goals to meet the high demand in Texas for local parks.

SCHEDULE OF HEARINGS---All Hearings at 7:00 p.m.

July 9 Dallas/Ft. Worth: Collin County Jr. College (Plano Campus) Conf. Center 2800 E. Spring Creek Pkwy
July 10 Nacogdoches: Nacogdoches County Courthouse, 2nd Floor 101 W. Main
July 16 Harlingen: Harlingen Cultural Arts Center, 76th Drive
July 17 El Paso: City Council Chambers, 2 Civic Center Plaza
July 30 Abilene: Taylor County Courthouse, 2nd Floor, 300 Oak St.
July 31 Amarillo: Santa Fe Bldg, 1st Floor, 900 S. Polk
Aug 6 Houston: Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Pkwy
Aug 7 Austin: TPWD Headquarters, 4200 Smith School Road

JUNE COVER STORY OF TEXAS OBSERVER ON SMRF WATER RIGHT

Observer editor Jake Bernstein did a great job in the 8 page article about the SMRF water right project to preserve some flow in the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers. To read it, go to the Texas Observer website, www.texasobserver.org and look for the June 21 issue. Bernstein interviewed coastal shrimpers and many others, going into great detail about the water right system in Texas. He knows quite a bit about these freshwater issues, having previously lived in Florida and written about the Everglades, where the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is spending billions of dollars to restore fresh water inflows to damaged wetlands.

[back to top]