Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Randall Townsend | From left, Jeff Walker, Executive Administrator for the Texas Water Development...... read more read more
DALLAS—Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Southwestern Division, the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 6, and the Texas Water Development Board met today for a Partnering Agreement signing that will improve interagency coordination related to large water supply projects in the state of Texas.
The agreement will assist applicants for these types of projects by providing guidelines and methods for producing some of the data required as part of the permit evaluation process under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, according to Brig. Gen. David C. Hill, SWD commander.
"The State Water Plan identifies the need for many additional water supplies in the future, and many of the proposed projects will require prior authorization under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. We agreed to form an interagency workgroup in 2015 with the goal of identifying ways to improve the permit review process for these projects. This agreement will help us assist the State of Texas in its efforts to plan for the future water needs of Texans,” he said.
The three agencies entered into a dialogue in 2015 focused on improving interagency coordination related to large water supply projects in Texas. Generally, large or major water supply projects are those projects where predictable impacts are significant enough to warrant the development of an Environmental Impact Statement, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
“Water plays a big role in our local communities and managing water is a growing concern across the United States, especially in drought prone areas like Texas,” said Ron Curry, Region 6 Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. “When reservoir water levels get lower and ground water tables drop, water supplies, public health, and the environment are put at serious risk.
“EPA is pleased to be part of a partnership to help Texans prepare for future challenges regarding water supply and the efficient use of this precious resource,” he added.
Although TWDB is not a regulatory agency, it will participate with USACE and the EPA by sharing its expertise in Texas water planning. TWDB will add its institutional knowledge of the Texas water planning process which will assist in identifying efficiencies in the permit review process.
Jeff Walker, Texas Water Development Board Executive Administrator, added, "We appreciate the opportunity to share our knowledge about the state water planning process and, in particular, the information from the 2017 State Water Plan. As a resource to this cooperative effort, we are participating in a core mission of our agency--planning for the state's water supplies."
Following signing of this Agreement, the agencies will work with existing staffing and budget to complete specific action items established by the partnering agreement.
| Date Taken: | 07.27.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.27.2016 16:51 |
| Story ID: | 205257 |
| Location: | TX, US |
| Web Views: | 187 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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