Monitoring groundwater quality and quantity has always been an important aspect of the Edwards Aquifer Authority's (EAA) mission and core value of science-based policy. The addition of the EAA's Field Research Park (FRP) property in 2019 provided a unique opportunity to closely study the behavior and characteristics of the aquifer system over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. In 2023, the EAA installed a new monitoring well at the FRP, which provides additional insight into the interactions between the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers, the quality of water in the system, and the effects of drought on aquifer water levels. This is now the fifth well in the FRP monitoring network, joining the two existing water wells on the FRP property, and two other wells supplied by neighboring partners. Tune into this episode as Marcus Gary, EAA Principal Geoscientist, explains the process of drilling the newest edition to the FRP monitoring well network and how this data helps further aquifer research at the EAA.
The inaugural Edwards Aquifer Summit was held this past October, and featured informative presentations from EAA General Manager Roland Ruiz, EAA Deputy General Manager Marc Friberg, EAA Executive Director of Aquifer Management Services Mark Hamilton, and EAA Executive Director for Threatened and Endangered Species Scott Storment. Tune in as Brent and Ann-Margaret provide some recaps and highlights from this historic event where city officials and stakeholders, from throughout the EAA's 8 county jurisdiction, had the opportunity to hear from and ask questions to the EAA leadership team.
For the past 20 years the EAA has taken a proactive approach to making rain clouds more productive by partnering with the Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District (UWCD) to perform cloud seeding operations. This initiative at our agency is known as the Precipitation Enhancement Program. The actual cloud seeding is performed by the South Texas Weather Modification Association (STWMA), which is a non-profit organization committed to enhancing rainfall across the South Texas region. STWMA is one of five permitted weather modification projects for rain enhancement in the state of Texas! On this episode hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent are joined by Bria Hieatt, State Licensed Program Meteorologist for the STWMA, where she explains the process of cloud seeding and how it's performed over Bandera, Medina, Uvalde counties and the outskirts of Bexar County for the EAA's Precipitation Enhancement Program.
On this episode, Ann-Margaret and Brent visit with Darcy Frownfelter, EAA's longtime general counsel. Darcy discusses how the EAA came into existence through the EAA Act as well as some highlights of his career so far. The EAA Act created the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) as a groundwater conservation district, which granted the EAA all of the powers, rights, and privileges necessary to manage, conserve, preserve, and protect the Edwards Aquifer.
In this episode, hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent welcome back EAA GM Roland Ruiz to recap all the progress the agency made in 2021 and get his perspective on the Next Generation and Beyond strategic plan as he celebrates 10 years of being the General Manager for the EAA. From the highly anticipated grand opening of the EAA Education Outreach Center to all the research taking place at the EAA Field Research Park, and the next chapter for the EAHCP as it celebrates its 10th year ensuring a suitable habitat exists for the covered, threatened and endangered, species in both the San Marcos and Comal Springs.
Why is collecting environmental data about the Edwards Aquifer important and how is it stored? On this episode Bryan Anderson, EAA Data Management Director, discusses with hosts Brent and Ann-Margaret the continuous data collected by the EAA Data Management Department. This department oversees 151 active monitoring sites where they collect data, process that data, and disseminate it to the public. Learn all about how the EAA manages these continuous data sets, and how they help us understand the Edwards Aquifer System.
On this episode hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent interview Mariah Bonham, Groundwater Protection Coordinator, regarding the groundwater protection initiatives at the EAA – ranging from the importance of well registration to historic records serving as a tool for finding abandoned wells throughout the EAA jurisdiction.
As you all may know by now this year is International Year of Caves and Karst, and the 'cave beetle' has been designated as animal of the year. Hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent discuss two endangered beetle species with Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP) Department's Kristy Kollaus, EAA Environmental Scientist, and Kristina Tolman, EAA Habitat Conservation Coordinator.
On this episode, hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent speak with Paul Bertetti, EAA Director of Aquifer Science, about characteristics of karst and how it relates to the Edwards Aquifer. Also, Paul provides an overview of how the aquifer recharges and discharges, and how the index wells in Bexar County and Uvalde county are important to monitoring the Edwards Aquifer System.
On this episode, hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent speak with Earl Parker, EAA Director of Regulatory Affairs, about aquifer management and protection programs where the general principles outlined in the EAA Act were the catalyst for key regulatory programs, groundwater withdrawal management, water quality and recharge zone protection. Listen and learn more about the details of these programs, and how the EAA works to implement a community approach to Edwards Aquifer stewardship.
Hosts Brent Doty and Ann-Margaret Gonzalez speak with EAA Executive Director of Aquifer Management Services, Mark Hamilton, about long-term research for groundwater systems, surface water systems, and soil and land management practices out at the 151-acre EAA Field Research Park located in the Cibolo Creek Basin on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.
Hosts Brent Doty and Ann-Margaret Gonzalez speak with EAA General Manager, Roland Ruiz, as he further expands on the Next Generation initiative as a way to broaden the EAA's opportunity to partner and collaborate, discusses a land management demonstration site that is underway at the EAA Field Research Park, and highlights the future EAA Education Outreach Center at Morgan's Wonderland Camp.
On this episode, hosts Brent Doty and Ann-Margaret Gonzalez speak with Jim Winterle, EAA Director for Modeling, about aquifer modeling in which water well pumping and aquifer recharge data collected from over the past 80 years is used to simulate outputs like the springflows at Comal and San Marcos Springs or the water levels at index wells J-17 in Bexar County and J-27 in Uvalde County. Learn how aquifer models play an important role in the implementation of water conservation measures and protection for the Edwards Aquifer not only as a habitat, but as a water supply for over 2 million South Central Texans.
Did you know? The underwater world of the Edwards Aquifer has predator species, some endangered, that dwell in the dark depths that are found nowhere else in the world? Also, discover the innovative way the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan is reducing the presence of the invasive, armored suckermouth catfish in San Marcos Springs Aquatic Ecosystem. Learn all about these species on this episode where hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent interview Kristy Kollaus, EAA Environmental Scientist.
Aquifer Storage and Recovery, aka ASR, is a water resource management technique for storing or injecting water underground for recovery in the future – typically during dry periods. In this episode our podcast hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent discuss the topic of ASR with Jenny Adkins-Schudrowitz, EAA Hydrogeologist, and Javier Hernandez, EAA Special Programs Liaison.
In Episode 1 Ann-Margaret and Brent breakdown the facts about the Edwards Aquifer System referencing Maddy's interviews from attendees that visited our EAA booth at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo this past February.
The Edwards Aquifer Authority Field Research Park (EAA FRP) is a hub for groundwater-related sustainability and aquifer behavior research where EAA staff are demonstrating and evaluating various land management practices and their potential effects on aquifer sustainability. The hypothesis driving the work is that the practices offer potential for improved soil health, added soil water holding capacity, increased infiltration, and reduction of sediments in surface runoff. Hear from Mark Hamilton, EAA Executive Director of Aquifer Management Services, as he shares all the EAA FRP has accomplished since 2019, and the future of aquifer sustainability research on this 151-acre property located adjacent to Cibolo Creek on the Recharge Zone of the Edwards Aquifer in northeast Bexar County, Texas.
EAA Principal Geoscientist, Logan Schmidt, sat down with Dr. George Veni, Karst hydrogeologist, to discuss the cave features of the Edwards Aquifer that are mostly unseen and how hydrogeologists that study these caves gain insight into how the aquifer system works.
Over the past decade, EAA General Manager Roland Ruiz has seen many initiatives come to fruition as imagination, innovation, and inclusion have been at the forefront of growing the agency into what it is today. Tune in as Roland reflects on where the agency has been and where it is going with hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent.
Paul Bertetti, EAA Senior Director Aquifer Science Research & Modeling, sat down with hosts Brent and Ann-Margaret to discuss amazing facts you might not know about the Edwards Aquifer!
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