IntegratedWaterResourcePlan

CitizenTaskForceMeeting
5/3/2017
Agenda
Call to Order
Approval of Meeting Minutes
Staff Briefings, Presentation and or
Reports
Water Rights 101
Continuation of Regional Partners
Future Agenda Items
Approval of Meeting Minutes
4/12/2017
Water Rights 101
 INTRODUCTION TO WATER RIGHTS
FOR THE CITY OF SUGAR LAND

JEFF STOVALL, PH.D., P.E. DAVID HARKINS, PH.D., P.E. PHIL BULLOCK, M.E., P.E.

AUGUST
2016
Carollo delivers national expertise
specializing in only water and wastewater
 INTRODUCTION TO WATER RIGHTS
Surface Water Groundwater
Regulated by TCEQ Regulated by Groundwater
Conservation Districts (GCDs)
 INTRODUCTION TO WATER RIGHTS
Surface Water
Regulated by TCEQ

23 Basins
 INTRODUCTION TO WATER RIGHTS

Prior Appropriation Water Rights

Legal doctrine that the first person to take a quantity of water
from a water source for "beneficial use"agricultural, industrial or
municipal, etc. has the right to continue to use that quantity of
water for that purpose.

FIRST IN TIME, FIRST IN RIGHT

Subsequent users (Junior Water Right Holders) can take the
remaining water for their own beneficial use provided that they do
not impinge on the rights of previous users (Priority Water Right
Holders).
 HISTORY OF WATER RIGHTS
Historical use and contracts dictated water right
applications and permits.
The drought in the 1950s inspired construction
of many reservoir in Texas.
TCEQ water right granting before modeling was
unreliable.
Senate Bill 1 (1997)
required the TCEQ to
develop water availability
models for each of the 23
river basins.
 WATER RIGHTS IN TEXAS
Texas requires any use of surface water to be
permitted.
Permit is basis for establishing priority date for
water rights and use of water in Texas.
Water rights are adjudicated by the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
(formerly Texas Water Commission and
TNRCC)
Earliest water rights in Texas date back to the
early 1900s.
CERTIFICATE OF ADJUDICATION (COA)
 WATER RIGHT COMPONENTS
Water rights generally have the following features in
common:

Priority Date An assigned date that determines

the holders priority for available water.
Volume A specified volume of water that the
holder may take or use within each YEAR and a
diversion rate.
Rate Maximum take rate (typically not modeled)
Impoundment Stored water (e.g. Reservoirs,
Lakes, Ponds, etc.).
Special Conditions Special regulations placed on
the permit such as regulations on operations.
 CONCEPTUAL DISCUSSION
Off Channel
P Reservoir
On Channel Reservoir

Industrial Use

1915

P
Agricultural
Use

P P
Recreational
Use

Environmental
Municipal Use

Flows
1995 1945
1925 1990
ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW COMPLICATIONS
TCEQ WATER AVAILABILITY MODELS (WAMS)
TCEQ uses tools to evaluate reliability:
A Water Availability Model (WAM) is a computer-based
simulation predicting the amount of water that would be in a
river or stream under a specified set of conditions. The model
used by TCEQ consists of two parts:

1. The modeling program, "WRAP (Water Rights Analysis

Package).

2. Text files that contain basin-specific

information for WRAP to process
(input file or WAM).
 FIRM YIELD AND RELIABILITY

Drought of Record = February 1957

FIRM
RELIABILITY
YIELD

Firm Yield is the maximum yield that

could have been delivered without failure
during the historical drought of record.
Reliability is the percentage of years in
which full diversions could be attained.
 CITY OF SUGAR LAND SUPPLY
Water Supply Reliability Quantity Dates

GCWA Contract ? 10.00 MGD 1997 Contract

GCWA Contract Option ? 10.00 MGD Amended 2014

BRA Contract ? 5.69 MGD 2010 Contract

Amended 2012
Oyster Creek Water ? 4.89/15.32 MGD 1914/1948 CoA
Right*
Total ? 30.59 /41.02 MGD

Quantity
Surface Water Treatment Plant 9.0 MGD**
**Surface Water Treatment Plant re-rated for 10.85MGD from 9MGD 5/2016; for analysis purposes 9MGD is used.
 GCWA WATER CONTRACT
1997 Contract
Rate Type Quantity Rate Annual Cost
Take or Pay 20 MGD $175.00 MG $1,277,500

Amended 2014 Current Contract

Rate Type Contract Quantity Rate Annual Cost
Take or Pay to August 2027 10 MGD $141.82 MG $517,657,235

Option Rate to July 2020 10 MGD $23.69 MG $86,481

3 year term with
1x 3 year renewal
TOTAL $604,138,875

Option Water can be Treated effluent

considered Right of First belongs to the City
Refusal water
 BRA WATER CONTRACT
2010 Contract
Rate Type Contract Quantity Rate Annual Cost
Take or Pay to 2040 4.09 MGD $191.81 MG $286,750

Amended 2012 Current Contract (+1,800 ac-ft/yr)

Rate Type Contract Quantity Rate Annual Cost
Take or Pay to 2040 5.69 MGD $191.81 MG $399,250

Waiting List
Rate Type Contract Quantity Rate Annual Cost
--- --- 15.54 MGD --- ---
 OYSTER CREEK WATER RIGHT
11-5170:
Priority Use Type Impoundment Special
Conditions

06/27/1914 0.14 MGD Industrial None --- Oyster Must

Irrigation Creek maintain
suitable
5/14/1948 16.06 MGD Municipal 2,908 MG/yr Seven Dam Oyster outlets in
Industrial Locations and the dams to
Recreational Jones allow free
Creek passage of
senior water
Owner: FBC WCID No. 1
 OYSTER CREEK WATER RIGHT
11-5170A:
Priority Use Type Impoundment Special
Conditions

06/27/1914 0.14 MGD Industrial None --- Oyster Must

Irrigation Creek maintain
suitable
5/14/1948 16.06 MGD Municipal 2,908 MG/yr Seven Dam Oyster outlets in
Industrial Locations and the dams to
Recreational Anywhere Jones allow free
Agricultural within Creek passage of
COSL senior water
Owner: City of Sugar Land
Diversion anywhere within corporate limits
of the City of Sugar Land

Owner is authorized an exempt interbasin

transfer of the 18,000 ac-ft to areas that lie
within the City of Sugar Land

Must implement water conservation plan,

screens, measuring devices, and allow TCEQ
access
 OYSTER CREEK WATER RIGHT
11-5170A with the Settlement Agreement:
Priority Use Type Impoundment Special
Conditions

06/27/1914 0.14 MGD Industrial None --- Oyster Must

Irrigation Creek maintain
suitable
5/14/1948 16.06 MGD Municipal 2,908 MG/yr Seven Dam Oyster outlets in
Industrial Locations and the dams to
Recreational Anywhere Jones allow free
Agricultural within Creek passage of
COSL senior water
Owner: City of Sugar Land
Diversion anywhere within corporate limits No 3rd-party water contracts without GCWA
of the City of Sugar Land Approval
Limit agricultural diversion to 6K ac-ft/yr and
Owner is authorized an exempt interbasin only 15 ac-ft per day in extreme drought times
transfer to areas that lie within the City of Metered data must be provided to GCWA
Sugar Land Must notify GCWA on the installation of new
diversion pumps
Must implement water conservation plan,
screens, measuring devices, and allow TCEQ
access
DAMS, DIVERSIONS, AND IMPOUNDMENTS
INTRODUCTION TO WATER RIGHTS
Groundwater
Regulated by Groundwater
Conservation Districts (GCDs)
GROUNDWATER AVAILABILITY MODEL

Houston Area Groundwater

Model, version 1.1
Developed by USGS, update to
2004 GAM
Sponsored by Harris-Galveston
Subsidence District, Fort Bend
Subsidence District, and Lone
Star Groundwater Conservation
District
Approved by TWDB for joint
planning by Groundwater
Management Area 14
HOUSTON AREA GROUNDWATER MODEL

Simulated groundwater flow and land-surface

subsidence
Calibrated to water levels and subsidence observed
through 2009
Can be used to
predict impacts of
water management
strategies on future
aquifer water levels
and subsidence
GROUNDWATER REGULATION

Fort Bend Subsidence District

Created in 1989 to regulate groundwater
withdrawal to prevent subsidence
Limits groundwater portion of total water
demand
No more than 70% groundwater after 2014
No more than 40% groundwater after 2024
Sugar Land has implemented the
Groundwater Reduction Plan to ensure
compliance
GULF COAST AQUIFER SYSTEM

Source: USGS SIM 3337

WATER LEVEL CHANGE, CHICOT AQUIFER
1977-2015
WATER LEVEL CHANGE, CHICOT AQUIFER
2010-2015
WATER LEVEL CHANGE, EVANGELINE AQUIFER
1977-2015
WATER LEVEL CHANGE, EVANGELINE AQUIFER
2010-2015
GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWALS, 1990-2015
GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWALS
TOP OF HARRIS COUNTY
GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWALS
MIDDLE OF HARRIS COUNTY
GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWALS
BOTTOM OF HARRIS COUNTY
REGIONAL SUBSIDENCE, 2005-2010

Source: USGS SIR 2013-5034

SUGAR LAND SUBSIDENCE
Observed Subsidence (ft)
Station Cumulative 2005-2010
PAM 04 -0.73 -0.26
PAM 16 -0.31 -0.17
RECAP
Reliability of Surface Water Contracts is
unknown, particularly with GCWA
Oyster Creek Water Right contains
elements that should be investigated
Effects of future pumping on
groundwater levels and subsidence is
unknown
 QUESTIONS?

Philip Bullock, M.E., P.E.,

512.228.2338
pbullock@Carollo.com

David K. Harkins, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE

512.937.6586
dharkins@Carollo.com
Future Agenda Items

27
Citizen Task Force Monthly Meetings
Next Meeting- June 7th
5:30pm to 7:00pm, Public Works Building
Agenda
Water Supply Reliability Results
Supply vs. Demand

28
Citizen Task Force Monthly Meetings
Tentative Upcoming Meeting Agendas:
April - IWRP Process & Relevant Water
Authorities
May- Water Rights 101 and Supply
June- Water Supply Reliability Study Results
July- Objectives
August- Objectives Scoring
September- Options

29
Agenda
Call to Order
Approval of Meeting Minutes
Staff Briefings, Presentation and or
Reports
Water Rights 101
Continuation of Regional Partners
Future Agenda Items

Questions
30