San Marcos River Foundation Newsletter - Vol.4, No. 4
Printed Quarterly on Recycled Paper - October 7, 1996
QUARTERLY
BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 16
The last quarterly board meeting of 1996 will be held on Wednesday,
October 16 at 6 p.m. in the conference room of SWT's Freeman
Building, across Sessom Drive from Pepper's. All members of
the River Foundation as well as visitors interested in the
welfare of the San Marcos River are welcome and encouraged
to attend. The agenda will include discussion of:
Fish hatchery discharge permit
Current results of fish hatchery impact study
Dam issues at Peppers, Thompson's Islands, and Martindale
Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) Drought Plan
San Marcos Surface Water Supply Plan update
Water reuse initiative
Kiosk refurbishing status
Cypress tree planting project
Interpretive center status
Birding project
Development of SMRF Room at Aquarena
Status of Grants, Fundraising Seminar
Appointment of Nominating Committee
PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS
First of all, I'd like to welcome Kyle Wilson to the SMRF
Board. Kyle was appointed to fill the term of Pam Spooner
who moved to Alpine to take a new library position with Sul
Ross University. Kyle is a science teacher at the Pride Center
of San Marcos High School and has been active for many years
with his students in the water quality sampling work of the
Texas Watch program. We hope this will be the beginning of
a long and active association with SMRF.
I have good news and bad news regarding the San Marcos water
plans. The good news is that the City of San Marcos is now
working toward a pipeline with the Guadalupe-Blanco River
Authority (GBRA) to use the contracted Canyon Lake water as
a first priority for the City's water supply. The bad news
is that the City is still pursuing the idea of taking water
from the San Marcos River. Although all our sources say that
both of the City's pending permits to take San Marcos River
water are dead and will never see the light of day, we must
be vigilant. (See related article.)
The final
phase of our river impact study under the direction of Dr.
Groeger of SWT's Biology Department will be completed this
month and will provide us with the scientific information
necessary to form an opinion on exactly what treatment is
needed to be sure the Fish Hatchery eflfuent is not allowed
to harm the River. (See related article.)
Finally,
our routine work continues on a variety of other projects---birding,
our educational exhibits at Aquarena, kiosk repairs, grants,
cleanups, and many others. I can never thank all of our volunteers
enough for all their hard work on behalf of the River. We
can always use more volunteers to do more work, so please
don't be bashful to volunteer your services for any of our
projects you can help with. Also, if you have never attended
our meetings, please do come and help us with your suggestions
and comments for improving effectiveness in achieving our
goals of protecting the flow, beauty, and purity of the River.
When you attend meetings, you know about all the projects,
and where help is needed.
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SIERRA CLUB CELEBRATION THIS WEEKEND, OCTOBER 12 &
13, AT AQUARENA
This event is a statewide gathering of Sierra Club members.
Many campers will be staying at the Goynes' Pecan Park Retreat,
and others will be at motels in San Marcos. Lots of canoeing,
tubing, tours of Aquarena, Freeman Ranch, and the Geography
and Planning Dept. at SWT will be going on all weekend. Live
music, picnics, inspiring speeches, birdwatching walks along
the River (7 a.m. Sunday), and training sessions on fundraising,
internet activism, and environmental enforcement are also
offered. The check-in site is Rio Vista Park, 8:30-9:30 on
Saturday morning, and there will be information on the whole
weekend there all day. Visitors are welcome.
What a compliment to San Marcos that the Sierra Club brought
their meeting here to show off our Springs and River! After
all, they have done more serious work to protect theSprings
than anyone, with their lawsuits of the past several years.
And if EAA (the Edwards Aquifer Authority) continues to deny
that the aquifer is in a crisis situation, the Sierra Club
may have to continue to ask that the courts handle the regulation
of the pumping in the aquifer.
FUN AND EDUCATIONAL ITEMS ADDED TO SMRF ROOM AT AQUARENA
The SMRF Room, next to the Endangered Species Aquarium Room
at Aquarena, has featured several display cases full of wonderful
historical photos prepared by Pam Spooner since last year.
The room has gradually been changed to a more kid-friendly
space, with a spot to view videos about the River and the
Edwards Aquifer. The San Marcos Art League volunteered last
month to paint several inner tubes to be used as seating for
the video area, and did a beautiful job of painting endangered
species as well as bright frogs and snails and river creatures.
The tubes were donated to SMRF by Tire Factory Outlet on Guadalupe
Street. What an inspired touch for the room! Children love
to pretend they are floating in the River. SMRF hopes to paint
the floor to simulate the River, if the carpet is removed
this winter as planned.
The same room will soon have another appealing exhibit courtesy
of board member (and handy carpenter) Mark Boucher, who is
working on boxes with lids that open for peeking, and child-sized
hand openings in front. Children will be able to feel river-related
items like snail shells or fossils and then guess what is
in the box. When they open the box to see what is there, the
lids will have a small message to educate readers about the
items. Help Mark and SMRF by suggesting or supplying items
to put in the boxes, if you have a great idea!
Board
member Mary Beth Garrett is researching other ideas like a
child's microscope with plastic specimen slides to decide
whether SMRF should purchase them. This room is a great opportunity
for SMRF to reach large numbers of youngsters with educational
materials about the San Marcos River, thanks to Ron Coley,
Manager of Aquarena at SWT. Tell us if you come across great
ideas on trips to children's museums or exhibits that we could
reproduce in San Marcos.
Store
Manager Eddie Durham is pictured holding the inner tubes Tire
Factory Outlet donated to SMRF. They were brightly painted
by the San Marcos Art League to be used as seating for children
in the SMRF room next to the aquarium room at Aquarena.
CONTINUING WORK TO ATTRACT BIRDWATCHERS TO SAN MARCOS
The Birding Guide, the 396-BIRD hotline, and the new website
on San Marcos birding are now being joined by the last basic
item needed to get birding tourism going here--a Bird Checklist
for San Marcos. This brochure in a very preliminary draft
form was given to Elderhostel visitors at Aquarena near the
end of September, and plans are afoot to put out a second
draft in time for the Sierra Club Statewide Celebration scheduled
at Aquarena October 12 & 13. The same committee of expert
birders who worked on the Guide are meeting to hammer out
exactly which birds can be routinely seen here, and where,
and when. (And having a great time doing it!) Several new
birders have pitched in to help, and the City's River Stewards
from the Parks & Rec Dept. have helped with their computer
skills.
There are rumors of grants from Texas Parks & Wildlife
which can be used to publish such items, so that will certainly
be something to strive for. The Checklist cover will feature
yet another great bird drawing by Jo Ellen Korthals, SMRF
board member who drew the Guide illustrations.
The Convention
and Visitors Bureau paid to print 5,000 Birding Guides, and
these are being sent to connections our local birders have
with folks at the Rockport Hummingbird Festival in September,
the Texas Wildlife Expo in Austin in October, the Harlingen
Rio Grande Valley Celebration in November, and if any are
left, the Eagle Festival, the Prairie Chicken Festival, the
Bluebird Festival, and the Migration Festival which are scheduled
for this coming winter and spring. We hope this will prompt
more visitors to San Marcos who will enjoy our River and natural
habitats around San Marcos in a low-impact kind of way. Birders
are some of the best kinds of tourists, since they are sensitive
to nature, and thus are less likely to litter or cause problems
in the parks. Peak birding times are fall and spring, when
water rationing is not usually a concern, so we don't mind
attracting a few more visitors to town.
To help
with the birding efforts, call Dianne Wassenich, 512-393-3787.
For a great time, call 396-BIRD every month. The recording
is changed on the first of each month, thanks to Dick Henderson
and Sally Ashley. The San Marcos birding website set up by
SMRF Board member Cathy Supple is linking in October with
Texas Parks & Wildlife's website, which received 798,000
"hits" last month! San Marcos, get ready to be hospitable
to the birdwatchers coming to town this fall!
This Neotropic
Cormorant, who can be seen by the ponds in front of the J.
C. Kellam Building at SWT, will be on the cover of the new
San Marcos Bird Checklist. This drawing is copyrighted by
Jo Ellen Korthals, local artist and SMRF Board member. Notecards
of her bird drawings will be sold at the crafts and bake sale
at First Lutheran Church on October 24 & 26. Jo and many
other local artists are working on bird and nature artwork
to be a special feature of Aquarena's Gift Shop in coming
months, as it shifts its focus to being a nature store with
museum shop-type stock.
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SPRING LAKE GARDEN CLUB GETS INTO BIRDING & GARDENING
FOR BIRDS
The local garden club is working with their national coalition
of garden clubs to get San Marcos declared a bird sanctuary
city. SMRF member Linda Keese is leading this effort, and
working with the City's Parks & Recreation Advisory Board
on this project. This will enable San Marcos to have an official
sign at the edge of their city limits that will remind travelers
to stop to birdwatch in San Marcos. The garden clubs have
an interest in encouraging cities all over the United States
to preserve bird habitat, with this program of theirs. Seguin
already has such a designation noted on their city limit signs.
Spring Lake Garden Club had Dr. David Huffman speak about
bird habitat at their last meeting , and he told of new research
which has established that cowbirds (which are wiping out
songbirds by pushing their eggs from the songbird nests and
replacing those eggs with their own) will not penetrate woods
or thickets farther than 20'. This is very important news
which should encourage everyone to help with efforts to preserve
large tracts of woods, if songbirds are to survive at all.
Huffman, of SWT's Biology Department, recommended that everyone
pick a portion of the yard and stop mowing and trimming it
completely. Let hackberries, anacua, and chinaberries come
up if they wish. Let it go completely wild, dead limbs and
trees and all. And if the neighbors look askance, just put
a border around it and a nice sign that says "Wildlife
Sanctuary". The bigger the sanctuary, the better, but
even a small plot will help. It is the only way to ensure
that birds will be able to survive in our city, as growth
continues.
AQUIFER LEVEL IS 644.5 FEET IN J-17 WELL ON OCTOBER
5
Since the rains began in August, the sense of urgency to solve
the aquifer crisis is not foremost in everyone's mind. But
we must keep on conserving, and remember to replant with drought
tolerant plants as we replace those landscapes lost to the
searing heat this summer. (See related articles on the aquifer,
Judge Bunton, Joe Moore, and EAA.)
CALL FOR LETTERS TO EAA ON AQUIFER MANAGEMENT PLAN
Bill West, General Manager of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
(GBRA), has requested that local citizens write their state
senators and representatives to insist that the new Edwards
Aquifer Authority (EAA) adopt measures that reflect the provisions
and intent of Senate Bill 1477 to manage the aquifer. Also,
West urges that water conservation measures be implemented
by all water-using entities.
As most SMRF members know, the EAA recently failed to adopt
adequate emergencey rules which would protect the San Marcos
and Comal Rivers (and thus the Guadalupe) during a drought.
The recent rains have helped, but the aquifer is still well
below normal, and spring flows are still low. The problem
is still with us. We cannot allow the recent rains to deter
us from demanding a long-term and effective solution to the
aquifer management problem. GBRA prefers Judge Bunton's 1996
Proposed Emergency Withdrawal Reduction Plan for the Edwards
Aquifer.
Please
take the time to study this problem and write letters. A copy
of the concise GBRA "White Paper" on the subject
is available from SMRF or at the check-out desk of the San
Marcos Public Library.
RIVER CLEANUP GREAT SUCCESS IN SEPTEMBER
Chip Wood, River Stewardship Program Director at the City
Parks and Recreation Department, reports a great turnout at
the Fall Cleanup, around 150 people, with many from SWT since
they tried advertising it on the SWT e-mail. Robin Daniel,
his assistant, worked on donations for prizes, and was thrilled
to receive prizes from Arby's, Attitudes Hair Salon, Breed
(now Steward's) Hardware, Buck's Bikes, Chili's, Grins, Palmers,
Pepper's, Subway, Sundance, and Sunset. Winners were Gamma
Theta Upsilon won largest SWT group, the B'Hai Faith won largest
community service group, SWT Student Foundation won most cans
and bottles, Mr. Cox won most shoes, and GTU won most weight.
Thanks to all who helped! The fall cleanup is sponsored by
City Parks and Rec, Jaycees, TG Canoe Livery, SMRF,and the
Dive Shop.
KIOSK DEDICATION AT PEPPER'S
The long work to produce the beautiful information panels
about the San Marcos River culminated in a dedication ceremony
last week, with officials attending from SWT, the City of
San Marcos, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and Fish & Wildlife,
joined by many SMRF members and the businesses who donated
funds to build the kiosk, (Colloquium, Grins, the Lions Club,
SMRF, Wonder World, San Marcos Factory Stores, and SWT/ Aquarena)
Go see it and enjoy the artwork by artist Karen Carr and staff
artists of TP&W. Great info on the River, the aquifer,
water conservation, and both endangered and introduced species
found in the River. Congratulations to the project coordinator,
Dr. David Bowles of TP&W. This is a busy spot on the river,
so it is a great location for a kiosk.
This kiosk dedication was attended by the following: (Left
to right) Tom Wassenich of Grins, Ron Knott of the Lions Club,
Jana Grote of U. S. Fish & Wildlife, Larry McKinney of
Texas Parks & Wildlife, Ron Balderach, the builder of
the kiosk, Kay Moore of Colloquium, Jo Ellen Korthals of SMRF,
and Dr. David Bowles of TP&W, the kiosk project coordinator.
Many other local citizens attended the event, including the
Mayor, Billy Moore, who also represented SWT. The artwork
on the kiosk is worth a trip to see it.
JUDGE BUNTON SAYS TEXAS NEEDS NEW FLEXIBLE WATER LAWS
Judge Bunton, the federal judge who has been considering the
Sierra Club's legal suit demanding pumping limits and an effective
Edwards Aquifer management plan was the speaker at the Ed
Cape Seminar at SWT this year on July 25. Bunton's speech
was very informative and thought provoking. After pointing
out the vast diversity of water distribution over the state,
with annual rainfall ranging from 58.3" at Orange to
1.76" at Wink, he suggested that Texas water law which
is currently based on an East Texas case where water is plentiful
is not appropriate for the dry areas of Texas west of IH35.
He reviewed the many attempts to set a new water policy beginning
in 1954 with Judge Jackson's Texas Water Conservation League
(in San Marcos, even!) continuing to the current legislative
action resulting in Senate Bill 1477 and EAA. He suggested
that Texas water law should be more like Colorado's or New
Mexico's. He predicted that the situation in Texas, where
about 90% of the available water is committed presently, will
reach a real crisis by 2040 when the demand will exceed the
supply.
Other
problems Bunton mentioned were lack of data, the conflict
of riparian and appropriated rights, jurisdictional issues,
overdrawing of ground water, and lack of finances. A water
management plan which recognizes the unique problems in different
areas of the state is necessary, he stressed in his very well
attended speech. He hoped that drought-breaking rain would
not stop the work that needs to be done on the pumping rules
and planning for the future.
JOE G. MOORE, JR. NOW DISTINGUISHED PROF OF GEOGRAPHY
& PLANNING AT SWT
Moore, appointed by Bunton to develop an aquifer management
plan for the court as a result of the Sierra Club lawsuit,
is nationally recognized in the area of water policy, taught
environmental law, regulation, and public policy at UT Dallas
for 13 years, and was the first executive director of the
Texas Water Development Board. This will be an asset to the
excellent Geography & Planning Department at SWT.
FISH HATCHERY STUDY SHOWS POLLUTION OF RIVER
Phase two of the four part SMRF study of Texas Parks &
Wildlife's A. E. Wood Fish Hatchery discharge into the San
Marcos River is complete and shows discharges that will not
meet the standards of their proposed state permit. Of the
6 samples tested for Biochemical Oxygan Demand (BOD), all
have been over the limits proposed by the permit. The Ammonia
Nitrogen has been under the limit. The Total Suspended Solids
(TSS) are not even included in the proposed permit, but when
the samples were tested, they were at or near the limit imposed
on the City's sewer plant, discharging just downriver a few
hundred yards. Phosphorus levels, also not included in the
hatchery's permit limits, were under the limits of the City's
sewer permit. The instream tests show a noticeable increase
in algae below the discharge compared to above, in spite of
the good readings on Nitrogen and Phosphorus.
TP&W maintains that their own tests show they do not need
to treat their discharge. SMRF hired SWT Biology Dept. professor
Dr. Al Groeger to analyze the discharge, and he has just finished
field tests for phase 3, and results will be ready soon. This
phase 3 was the "normal" everyday discharge of fresh
water that is passed through trout breeding areas. The first
two phases were done while breeding ponds of other species
are discharged into the River after the fish are harvested
and the water has been impounded for several months. The last
round of tests, phase 4, will occur in mid-October.
An additional
expert has been called in by SMRF to analyze the impact of
the hatchery as it relates to the microscopic algae in the
River. After this initial sampling is analyzed, we will decide
if more studies need to be done in this area. Microscopic
algae can cause water to appear cloudy, changing the habitat
for native plants and animals, and generally deteriorating
the aesthetics of the River.
Unfortunately,
the state permitting entity, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation
Commission (TNRCC) does not yet consider algae a problem and
therefore does not deal with it in their permits. However
the results of increased algae, deterioration of water quality
and habitat, are prohibited in their Water Code, so we have
hope that our concerns will be addressed. We hope that Parks
and Wildlife will be responsive, since they are charged with
maintaining wildlife and its habitat. So surely they would
not want to alter the pristine San Marcos River.
SMRF recently
sent a letter to Andy Sansom, Executive Director of TP&W,
(4200 Smith School Rd., Austin, 78744) informing him of our
findings to date and requesting informal discussions before
beginning the permit hearing process. As many of you know,
over 100 individuals and groups are official protesters of
the hatchery permit.
If there
is no success with informal negotiations, the first hearing
may be in late October. Protesters will get a letter from
TNRCC, and then SMRF will send letters out to explain TNRCC's
letter, letting protesters know what SMRF has decided to do,
and offering protesters the option of showing up or aligning
with SMRF. Persons who did not protest months ago will still
have an opportunity to do so at this first hearing. As always,
we hope we don't have to go through a hearing, since we would
rather spend our time and money on education and science than
attorneys.
You can
assist by contacting Parks & Wildlife officials and letting
them know that they need to protect the San Marcos River by
eliminating (reusing) their discharge or treating it to the
high level our River deserves. For more info, call Tom Wassenich,
nights, 512-393-3787 or Jack Fairchild, days or nights, 357-6827.
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RIVER RANGERS ARE HARD AT WORK
On July 30, the River Rangers successfully completed their
first Quality Assurance session. Everyone passed, and two
Rangers were trained to be Quality Assurance officers. It's
good to know that the River Ranger Data is of the highest
quality possible. Texas Watch now gives the Rangers' data
a 95% confidence rating. In addition, six new Rangers recently
completed their last phase of training and have been assigned
to Martindale and Prairie Lea testing sites. Another training
session was scheduled in late September for new Rangers. For
information on training, call Mary Beth Garrett, 353-8472.
Mary Beth is a SMRF board member, and enjoys working with
all the River Rangers as well. Their test results are posted
at the Public Library, the SMRF room at Aquarena next to the
Aquarium, and the Martindale Post Office. SMRF helped the
River Rangers get going by buying test kits for them, and
applauds their important work, testing the San Marcos River,
week after week, to build a date base over time.
WATERSHED CONFERENCE ON NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION
SMRF sponsored Mary Beth Garrett, to attend the conference
held in Austin by the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation
District. The topics discussed included erosion and sediment
control, reduction of highway construction runoff, control
of rural and agricultural runoff, and promoting personal lifestyle
changes necessary to reduce non-point source pollution. SMRF
will be working more on these kinds of problems in coming
years, after the point sources of pollution like sewer plants
and fish hatchery discharges are cleaned up. As San Marcos
experiences rapid growth like the past two years' frenzy,
more and more construction, pavement, and traffic will add
to the water quality problems.
VOLUNTEERS HELP WITH FISH SURVEYS IN COMAL AND SAN
MARCOS
Many SMRF members, SWT students, Americorp volunteers, and
employees of both the State and the Federal Fish Hatcheries
helped U. S. Fish & Wildlife with six weeks of surveying
fish and river creatures in the Comal River in New Braunfels
as well as the San Marcos River. Pat Connor, of Fish &
Wildlife, expressed gratitude for all the help--without the
volunteers, they could not accomplish so much work in such
an efficient way. He also made a point to thank the Thornton
family and the Ernest Cummings family for allowing acess to
the River downstream of San Marcos, making the work much easier,
since paddling a boat with the huge nets balanced on top is
no easy feat!
The survey volunteers assist Pat Connor of Fish & Wildlife
in moving the net to a different site. Paula Spears of Fish
& Wildlife is in the boat, Hugh Glenewinkel of A. E. Wood
Fish Hatchery below her in the water. Pat Connor in striped
shirt, and Jake Isaac of A. E. Wood is in the elephant ears,
hiding at the bottom right of the net. This survey location
is near the Thompson's Islands area. (Photo courtesy of Linda
Keese of the San Marcos Daily Record.
CITY CONTINUES TO PURSUE RIVER AS WATER SOURCE
The City of San Marcos continues to pursue the concept of
the San Marcos River as a source of water that they think
will make them independent of the Edwards Aquifer. Fortunately,
we have heard that the two permits they have applied for are
so controversial and unprecedented that it may take years
for them to be considered, if ever. You may recall that almost
200 people and groups filed protests against both of these
permits late in 1995, including SMRF and many of its members,
plus numerous other riverside landowners, recreationists,
and concerned citizens.
The Bed and Banks permits is the first one that may be considered.
It is an untested legal concept that the City is so interested
in that they have altered a lot of their future water plans.
Their idea is to get credit for all the sewage they dump into
the River, by pumping it back out of the River downsteam after
it is diluted by river flow, and thus getting free water which
they claim is reused sewage. Whenever SMRF recommends any
projects reusing wastewater, the City staff responds that
the Bed and Banks permit is a complete reuse project, so they
don't need to invest in other forms of reuse, selling their
wastewater to golf courses, etc. What SMRF wants to see is
LESS SEWAGE IN THE RIVER, and so far the City seems uninterested.
Even though the time is fast approaching when the plant they
are building this year will be over capacity, with all the
rapid growth in the area, and the computer model shows that
no more sewage can be discharged into the River. Once again,
they are not thinking ahead.
SMRF has
learned that several large Texas cities are opposed to the
Bed and Banks idea because downstream cities could end up
with little or no flow. The legal costs in trying to do landmark
water rights juggling have been enormous, and continue to
mount for the City of San Marcos, with no assurance that the
gamble will work. This is another reason that the City has
not been able to get the Canyon Lake water to San Marcos in
the six years since the bond election passed to build a water
plant. The staff is predicting 3 years to get Canyon water
into local faucets at this point, now that they finally have
an agreement with GBRA.
The second
permit the City applied for involves trying to secure all
remaining unappropriated water in the San Marcos River. This
permit and the first one (Bed and Banks) ask for a total of
59.5 cubic feet per second (cfs). The flow of the River got
down to the 80's this summer. The lowest flow of the River
recorded is 46 cfs, in the 1950's. SMRF and the other 200
protestants do not want to surrender what could amount to
most of the flow of the River to fuel San Marcos growth with
cheap water. The City's water project is underway but they
remain ambivalent about whether the source of the water will
be the San Marcos River or the Guadalupe, or a combination
of the two.
In addition
to all the legal costs, the City continues to pay hundreds
of thousands of dollars to engineering firms to study the
effect of taking what could be 80% of the flow from the River.
Since they are clinging to the thread of hope that their permits
will be allowed, they also will not give up the idea of the
5 million dollar reservoir and building the plant on the San
Marcos River.
We have
already seen many local citizens question the City's poor
planning and lack of surface water during drought. More citizen
outcry is needed, since they are not convinced yet of their
mistake and waste of money. We applaud the Neighborhood Council
for their plans to watch this water planning very closely,
even asking for monthly updates on the construction and planning.
SWT CONSTRUCTION RUNOFF CONTINUES TO POUR INTO RIVER VIA SESSOM
CREEK
Photographing of all the rainfall events continues along Sessom
Creek, where massive changes are taking place in the watershed
on SWT property. Mudslides from the construction sites occur
frequently, causing the closing of Sessom Drive. Texas Parks
and Wildlife, U. S. Fish & Wildlife, EPA, Corps of Engineers,
and the City Engineering Department have been alerted, but
thus far, the mud flows unfettered every time it rains, directly
into the River at the mouth of what is left of Sessom Creek,
at Pepper's. This is the most heavily inhabited part of the
River by the endangered species, and thus the most critical
area to their survival.
This is a rainfall event on 8/31/96, showing the mud flowing
from a cut in the pavement straight across the intersection
of Sessom and LBJ and into Sessom Creek. As of press time
(Oct.5), this pavement cut is still bare and eroding, and
sediment fences are still overwhelmed at the SWT construction
site.
DAM NEWS
Spring Lake Dam at Pepper's----The mediation efforts that
SMRF attempted between SWT and TRPA (Texas Rivers Protection
Association), did not help and so the lawsuit was filed by
TRPA against SWT for manipulating the boards and other structures
around the dam, thereby raising the lake level and suppressing
the spring flow. TRPA believes that this caused the river
flow to be even lower this year than the drought would have
caused anyway. The matter is scheduled for court trial October
21st.
Thompson's Islands Millrace and Dam----The repairs were completed
by Texas Parks & Wildlife, the temporary dam in the millrace
was removed, and the millrace was filled even higher than
it has been before. Very little water was flowing over the
dam at the end of the millrace, so there is not the massive
waterfall that you may recall from before the millrace gave
way last year. Of course, Cape's Dam is configured differently
now, just upstream, so that affects the situation as well.
Cape's Dam formed a leak underwater that subsequently was
stopped by the settling of the rocks in the dam, so now more
water flows over that dam than before. The problem that is
now worrying everyone is that the water is flowing from the
sides of the millrace across Thompson's Island, causing about
a third of it to be a swamp, on the far end of the island,
downstream of the road. Trees that died years ago when the
millrace repairs and Cape's Dam caused more water to be diverted
across the island, are now rotting and falling, more are dying,
and mowing will be impossible because of standing water. Of
course, the millrace dam cannot be lowered very much, or the
natural flow of the river will be cut off. It is a complicated
and damaging problem that will continue to be worked on by
TP&W and the City. Meanwhile, the cypress trees that SMRF
planted have suffered greatly from vandalism, mowing, drought,
and then flooding by the millrace changes. Replanting will
be in order when the drought cycle is gone for sure.
Martindale
Dam - The generating surges have stopped, since the owner
of the dam was stopped from generating by the federal regulating
agency that was alerted that he did not have a permit. Ownership
issues continue to be negotiated with adjoining property owners,
and GBRA is looking into buying the dam. The period when the
owner drained the lake to try to get the local riverside landowners
to buy the dam from him was difficult to endure while the
trees began to fall in along the banks, but the landowners
tried to take comfort in the fact that the draining of the
lake increased the flow and thus the oxygenation of the River,
which was needed since the lake had gone almost stagnant from
the low flows in the River. The algae which had covered the
lake from shore to shore at times has now abated with the
increased flows from the rainfall.
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