UGRA Monitors
River, Springs and Seeps;
Guadalupe gets High Marks for Swimming
Kerrville, TX, June 23, 2004 – The
Upper Guadalupe River Authority today reported positive results from two of
its water monitoring studies. Janet Robinson, UGRA President, said: “The health of the Upper Guadalupe River is good, but we must continue to be vigilant to
protect Kerr County’s central asset.”
UGRA’s
annual monitoring of popular swimming areas for bacteria is underway. According to UGRA General Manager, Greg
Etter, “The River is in good shape for swimming. We have had good flows this spring and
summer, and that keeps the water temperatures cool and avoids stagnation.” The River Authority samples nineteen
swimming areas on a weekly basis during the swimming season. The only minor bacterial anomalies found to
date were directly under the Sidney Baker Bridge and immediately downstream from the 534 Bridge. The swimming areas at Louise Hayes Park showed no contamination. According to Etter, “The low water crossing
under Loop 534 impedes the flow of the River and leads to
potential water quality problems. We intend
to take a hard look at the best way to address this issue.”
As
part of its River Monitors Program, UGRA is again this year calling for
volunteers to assist in the swimming hole sampling. Anyone with a desire to monitor water
quality and learn more about water resources between now and September 15th
is invited to volunteer. The
monitoring program is open to individuals, groups, organizations and
classes. Volunteers will be trained in
water sampling by UGRA. Samples will
be collected by volunteers and analyzed in UGRA’s state-of-the-art laboratory. Interested persons should contact Scott Loveland (830-896-5445) before June 30th.
UGRA
recently completed its annual Springs and Seeps Monitoring Program. Etter stated: “The Springs and Seeps Monitoring Program
acts as our early warning system. By monitoring the River at its sources, we
are able to identify potential problem areas before the River is adversely
impacted.” Spring and seep monitoring
highlighted the need for the Kerrville
South Wastewater Project and the Ingram Wastewater Project, both of which are
replacing aging septic systems in densely populated areas. Over time, it is expected that improvements
in water quality resulting from these projects will be reflected in the Springs
and Seeps Monitoring Program. UGRA is
also reviewing the results of the Monitoring Program as part of an ongoing
effort to determine what other areas are the best candidates for transition
to sewer.
In
other business, the UGRA Board was briefed regarding progress on UGRA’s
Strategic Plan. Highlights include:
·
Fiscal Responsibility
o
One Hundred
Eighty Thousand Dollars ($180,000) in recurring annual cost savings achieved
since May 2003
o
Prudent reserve
fund established
§
Seventy
Thousand Dollars ($70,000) added in F.Y. 2004
·
Kerrville
South Wastewater Project
o
Sewer flowing
at Phase I
·
New Restoration
and Preservation Projects
o
Cypress
Restoration Initiative successfully initiated
o
Additional projects
in development stage
·
Trash - Free
River Initiative
o
UGRA and 2004
River Clean-up Sponsors cleaning 14 river crossings
§
Bank of the
Hills
§
Comanche Trace
§
Gibson’s Discount Center
§
Hill Country
State Bank
§
Kerrville Daily Times
o
August 14 River
Clean-up Day planned with Boy Scouts of America
o
Partnerships
established for further actions
·
Volunteer River Monitors Program
o
Successfully
expanded to include three volunteer opportunities
·
Springs Study
o
Assistance
ongoing to Plateau Regional Planning Group effort to gain better
understanding of springs that feed the Upper Guadalupe
·
Laboratory
Business Plan
o
Nearing
Completion
Etter
stated: “We are on course to meet the
objectives in our Strategic Plan. Over
the coming months, we will bring a number of good, new proposals to the Board
that will further stewardship of the Upper Guadalupe.”
_________________________________________________________________________
UGRA aspires to be respected for its efficient, responsive and
forthright stewardship of the Upper Guadalupe River and its tributaries.
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