The Texas Water Development Board met to consider approval of the Agency FY 2020-2021 Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) as well as the FY 2019 Audit Plan, the FY 2018 Third Quarter Contract Amendment and other FY 2019 Agency plans. The Board also approved requests by Harris County MUD No. 50 and City of Ingleside for $24,770,000 in financing from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics the committee took up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the hearing, but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.
1. Discussion regarding outreach efforts and activities by the Board.
- Jackson – discussed working with Corpus Christi, Lake Amanda ground breaking ceremony – noted Rep. James White’s efforts
- Paup – Visited GBRA dam sites, visited Arbuckle reservoir site, met with Rep. Rodriguez and Rep. Ashby
- Lake – met with Texas Water Foundation, Greenville water assistance workshop, met with LCRA
2. Consider approving the FY2018 Third Quarter Contract Amendment and Contract Monitoring Report.
Lisa Farrell, Staff
- Board Agenda #02 Document
- Report includes changes that:
- extend the length of or postpone the completion of a contract for six months or more
- increase the total consideration to be paid under contract by at least 10 percent
- Executive Administrator recommends approval
- Motion to approve FY2018 Third Quarter Contract Amendment and Contract Monitoring Report was seconded and passed
3. Consider approving the Agency FY 2020-2021 Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR).
Chris Hayden, Staff
- Board Agenda #03 Document
- Noted and thanked many groups and people were involved in putting together the LAR
- Some funding has been shifted between years of the biennium
- General Revenue limit at just over $126 million – total including debt service $362,266,925
- Reviewed methods of finance
- Spoke to 10% reduction plan – just over $6 million
- 10% reduction was broken down into increments and this breakdown is provided in summary of LAR
- Reviewed the capital budget request of just over $3 million without exceptional items – total capital budget request $4,621,344
- Discussed exceptional items requests: Flood, groundwater, strategic mapping acquisition, data center consolidation, and CAPPS implementation
- Lake – what was the shift for flood tech. package?
- $500,000 frontloaded in 2020
- Described rider revisions and recommendations on page 8
- Rider 7 – changed to access balance in the fund
- Rider 26 vetoed by Governor
- Rider 28 – want UB authority and agency to use unobligated fund balance
- They also removed riders no longer necessary or that they are not using
- Jackson – the LAR reflects the future goals and priorities of the TWDB
- Ken Cramer, Sierra Club – not requesting any changes to the LAR but has some concerns with the 10% reduction coming for environmental flows
- Motion to approve FY 2020-2021 Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) was seconded and passed
4. Consider approving the State Fiscal Year 2019 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan.
Mark Wyatt, Staff
- Board Agenda #04 Document
- Program offers very low interest rates
- Intended use plan shows 107 eligible projects at over $700 million
- Established a higher maximum allocation amount
- Discussed subsidized green funding
- Allows TWDB to provide funding above $525 million
- Motion to approve State Fiscal Year 2019 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan was seconded and passed
5. Consider approving the State Fiscal Year 2019 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan.
Mark Wyatt, Staff
- Board Agenda #05 Document
- Includes principle forgiveness to disadvantaged communities – $2 million
- Totals over $600 million
- Similar changes to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan
- Green funding allocation limited to $1 million per project to allow for more projects to be subsidized
- Motion to approve State Fiscal Year 2019 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan was seconded and passed
6. Consider approving by resolution a request from the Harris County Municipal Utility District No. 50 (Harris County) for $2,770,000 in financing from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for design and construction of sanitary sewer system improvements.
Nancy Richards, Staff
- Board Agenda #06 Document
- located north of downtown Houston
- significant rain events have caused a need for sanitary sewer system rehabilitation
- Jackson – this is a growing area, and this addresses many things
- Motion to approve the resolution was seconded and passed
7. Consider approving by resolution a request from the City of Ingleside (San Patricio County) for $22,000,000 in financing from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for planning, acquisition, design, and construction of a new wastewater treatment plant.
Mireya Loewe, Staff
- Board Agenda #07 Document
- Outdated 1.2-million-gallon wastewater treatment plant to be replaced with more modern facility
- 2 million gallons per day is expected output
- Motion to approve the resolution was seconded and passed
8. Consider approving Internal Audit’s Fiscal Year 2019 Audit Plan.
Nicky Carter, Staff
- Board Agenda #08 Document
- Approval of the audit plan includes approval of risk-0based and required audits, follow-up on prior audits, consultations and non-audit services, investigative reviews, and administrative audit activities
- Motion to approve the Internal Audit’s Fiscal Year 2019 Audit Plan was seconded and passed
9. Consider authorizing the Executive Administrator to: (a) publish requests for qualifications in the Texas Register for two groundwater availability modeling projects for a total amount not to exceed $1,440,000; (b) negotiate and execute contracts based on the statement of qualifications for each project; and (c) transfer up to $1,440,000 from the Water Assistance Fund to the Research and Planning Fund.
Cindy Ridgeway, Staff
- Board Agenda #09 Document
- Described groundwater availability modeling projects
- Grant budget is $1.44 million
- Had 46 suggestions for groundwater projects with 2 projects determined to go forward
- update the model for the southern portion of the Carrizo-Wilcox, Queen City, and Sparta aquifers
- an in-depth study of the Cross Timbers Aquifer
- Motion to approve executive administrator authorizations was seconded and passed
10. Consider authorizing the Executive Administrator to negotiate and execute a contract in an amount not to exceed $2,161,969 for continuation of the Water Resources Investigations data collection project with the U.S. Geological Survey in Fiscal Year 2019.
Dr. Mark Wentzel, Staff
- Board Agenda #10 Document
- Many gauges providing near real time data
- Funding is split between TWDB and the US Geological Survey
- A portion of the
- contract will cover operation and maintenance for 53 streamflow, 35 lake level, and 24 rain
- gages that provide data for water resources monitoring and planning
- Board members noted the importance of additional gauges
- Motion to approve executive administrator authorization was seconded and passed
11. Briefing and discussion on water conditions in the state of Texas.
Dr. Mark Wentzel, Staff
- Reviewed latest draught monitor for Texas
- Drought is clustered in the panhandle and in central Texas
- Draught has relieved from the coast
- New map coming out this Thursday which will likely show improvement in central Texas after last weekends rain
- Reservoir impact – about 76% of capacity, 6% points lower than “normal”
- Seasonal outlook is pessimistic for Texas through October
- Prediction to El Nino conditions for fall and winter – typically means more precipitation for Texas
12. The Board will receive comments from the public on any matters within the jurisdiction of the TWDB, with the exception of matters which are subject to the ex parte prohibition found in Texas Government Code Section 2001.061.
- No public comment
13. The Board may adjourn into Executive Session and conduct a closed meeting.
- No closed session
Closing Remarks
- The next currently scheduled meeting of the Texas Water Development Board will be September 6, 2018.