This report only covers selected agenda items.
Consider authorizing the Executive Administrator to publish a Request for Applications in the Texas Register for funds made available by HB 1025 in an amount not to exceed $10,000,000 from the Water Assistance Fund (Jeff Walker)
- After an initial look at funds, $5.59 million was determined to be available for this program
- Applications will be due by March 27
- Staff will review all applications and if more than one meet the criteria they will be brought before the Board for a decision
Consider authorizing the Executive Administrator to publish a Request for Applications in the Texas Register for Fiscal Year 2014 Water Conservation Education Grants for a total amount not to exceed $1,000,000. (Robert Mace)
- SB 1 (83R) included Rider 23 which appropriated $1 million for the purpose of grants for water conservation
- In developing the program, staff broke the money into three categories
- $500,000 for statewide programs
- $250,000 for regional programs
- $250,000 for local program
- Those categories may be reworked once the plan is further along
- Unexpended balances from the program are allowed to be moved into next fiscal year
- Grants will be awarded competitively based on a number of criteria
- There will be a 50% fund matching minimum
- Closing date for applications will be March 18
- Director Beck Bruun noted that he would like to pull this back and take another look at it to make sure the program is staying true to legislative intent
- Commissioner Carlos Rubinstein agreed
- The board voted to remand the item back to the executive administrator
Consider authorizing the Executive Administrator to publish a Request for Applications in the Texas Register for demonstration projects for near-term alternative water supplies. (Sanjeev Kalaswad)
- 83rd Legislature appropriated $3 million to fund grants for the construction of water reuse, aquifer storage and recovery and other demonstration projects that would create new water supplies or increase water availability through efficiencies
- Project requirements include:
- Must lead to increased water supply in the next 5 years
- Must provide an increase in a region by at least 10%
- Must provide dollar for dollar matching funds
- Grant money must be spent by August 31, 2016 if appropriated in 2014 and by August 31, 2017 if appropriated in 2015
- Applications will be considered competitively
- Applications will be grouped into one of the following three categories:
- Water reuse
- Aquifer storage and recovery
- Other
- Deadline for applications is April 30, 2014
- Motion approved
Consider authorizing publication of the adoption of proposed amendments to 31 Texas Administrative Code Section 358.6 relating to the frequency of water loss audits by retail public utilities providing potable water. (Jim Bateman)
- 83rd Legislature passed HB 857 requiring retail public utilities providing potable water to file water loss audits annually except utilities with 3,300 or fewer connections and those not receiving financial assistance from the board who may file the audits every 5 years
- First annual audit must be submitted by May 1, 2014
- Rulemaking adopted with two minor revisions
Briefing and discussion on HB 4 rule development. (Todd Chenoweth)
- HB 4 has a statutory deadline for TWDB to adopt rules by March 1, 2014 but commissioners are pursuing a more aggressive timeline
- Staff is planning on holding three or more work sessions outside of Austin so that stakeholders can give input directly to the Board
- The first is planned for February 11 at 10:30 AM in Conroe
- A series of staff led stakeholder meetings are planned to take place in Austin as well
- The first will be January 31 at 10:00 AM
- There is also a TWDB webpage with a continually updated schedule for the stakeholder meetings
- All work sessions and meetings should be completed by the end of March 2014
- A proposed rule should be taken before the board in June 2014
Consider approving by Resolution, the Investment Agreement between the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company regarding the management and investment of the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT); and the delegation of authority to the Board’s Executive Administrator to effectuate movement of funds in and out of the state treasury as directed by the Trust Company for the purposes of the Trust Company’s investment and management of the SWIFT in accordance with the SWIFT Investment Policy Statement and applicable law. (Anne Burger Entrekin)
- The agreement is pursuant to HB 4 whereby the Trust Company shall hold and invest the SWIFT funds with the objective of maintaining sufficient liquidity to meet the needs of the SWIFT but at the same time preserving purchasing power
- Board staff and the Trust Company have been meeting regularly to develop an agreement
- As required in HB 4 the Trust Company has developed a policy related to the first phase of the investment strategy
- Funds will be transferred into investments that will provide liquidity as well as providing a higher rate of return than the state treasury
- As the Board continues with the process of the development of the financial structure the Board will provide the Trust Company with a forecast of semi-annual cash flows that will allow the funds to move into longer term securities and investments
- The Trust Company will provide the Board with an annual audited report to ensure transparency
- Resolution approved
Briefing and discussion on drought conditions in the state of Texas. (Mark Wentzel)
- Texas shows small areas of improvement in North Texas and Central Texas as well as small areas in East and West Texas that are feeling more significant drought conditions; most of the state remains unchanged from last year’s levels
- 2013 was an average precipitation year for Texas but by the end of January, the lows will be back down to the 1990 level
- December was a good month for recovery in groundwater levels