DESALINATION

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DESALINATION

• How Critical Is It for the State to Develop
  Seawater Desalination Supplies?
• BILL WEST
• GBRA, General Manager

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Some Factors Affecting Desal Development in Texas

• Difficulty protecting existing water rights
• Difficulty developing new supplies
• Pitfalls of both surface and groundwater
• EARIP and Whooping Crane Lawsuit
• Potential Mussel Listings
• Seawater Desalination Costs/Issues

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Difficulty Protecting Existing Water Rights

• Challenges facing the Legislature
• Every new lawsuit threatens existing water rights
• Population demand centers versus water supply
  locations
• Business development needs versus water rights
  holders

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Difficulty Developing New Water SuppliesExample
REGION L (20½ counties)

• Note
• Last major water supply project completed in
  Region L was Canyon Reservoir (1964).
• Last major water reservoir completed in Texas
  was Jim Chapman Reservoir (1991). Capacity of
  260,000 ac/ft.

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Difficulty Developing New Supplies

• Region L
• Water Management Strategies (WMS) w/ Est. Firm
  Yield

Recommended WMS Year (acre-feet) 2010
2020 2030 2040 2050 2060
Conservation
Wimberley Woodcreek Proj. 4,480 4,480 4,480 4,480 4,480 4,480
Simsboro Proj. 30,000 30,000 30,000 50,000 50,000
Reg. Carrizo Proj. for Basin 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000
GBRA Mid-Basin Conj. Use
GBRA Mid Basin (surface)
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Difficulty Developing New Supplies

• Region L
• Water Management Strategies (WMS) w/ Est. Firm
  Yield

Alternative WMS Year (acre-feet) 2010
2020 2030 2040 2050 2060
LGWSP for GBRA Upstream 60,000 60,000 60,000 60,000 60,000
LGWSP for GBRA Upstream (reduced w/o Exelon) 35,000 35,000 35,000 35,000 35,000
WMS Needing Further Study
Storage Above Canyon
Brush Mgmt Above Canyon
Seawater Desal for Region L
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Difficulty Developing New Supplies

• Simsboro Project Issues
• Groundwater Districts
• Lease Contracts, etc
• Costs Associated with Delivery
• Carrizo Project Issues
• Groundwater Districts
• Lawsuits
• Costs Associated with Delivery

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Pitfalls of Surface Water and Groundwater

• Surface Water
• Difficulty obtaining permits
• Difficulty securing reservoir sites
• Issues associated with location of supplies and
  population demand centers
• Groundwater
• Difficulty obtaining permits
• Brackish groundwater as controversial as fresh
• EAA versus Day TX Supreme Court
• DFCs

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Pitfalls of Surface Water and Groundwater

• Whos Water Is It?
• Reuse
• Surface Water
• Groundwater
• ASR

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EARIP and Whooper Lawsuit

• The Texas Legislature created a Recovery
  Implementation Program in May 2007 under Senate
  Bill 3 This is a process under the ESA that
  brings together federal, state, and private
  stakeholders to work together to improve water
  management and recover endangered species.
  Deadline to resolve the Edwards Aquifer RIP is
  December 2012.

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EARIP and Whooper Lawsuit

• EARIP Why all the fuss?
• Ensuring existence of at least 7 species
  designated as endangered under the ESA
• Maintaining flow at Comal and San Marcos springs
  during times of drought
• During droughts, flows from those springs are 80
  of the source of Guadalupe flows in Victoria
• Almost 2 million people in the San Antonio area
  get about 95 of their water from the Edwards.
• Major swaths of the economy along the I-35
  Corridor is connected to the Guadalupe and
  springflows at Comal and San Marcos springs

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EARIP and Whooper Lawsuit

• Whooping Crane Lawsuit The Aransas Project
  (TAP) vs. Shaw (TCEQ)
• Claims that diversions of State fresh water have
  resulted in takes of Whooping Cranes

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EARIP and Whooper Lawsuit

• Lawsuit Potential Consequences?
• Seeks injunction barring TCEQ from approving new
  water rights permits and seeks preemption of
  State water rights by Federal law (2 pending
  permits on Guadalupe)
• Overturn the States water rights regulatory
  process, and reduce or cancel existing water
  rights for municipal, industrial, and
  agricultural users
• Derail the EARIP and conflict with E-flows
  process
• Stall or halt new economic development

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EARIP and Whooper Lawsuit

• Lawsuit Other Factors
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering
  nine species of mussels for listing under the
  ESA, and is being sued by WildEarth Guardians to
  act. Collectively, the mussels are found in
  almost every major river basin in Texas. So, the
  same legal logic in the whooper suit could be
  used on any other Texas river where there are
  endangered species.

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Seawater Desal Costs / Issues

• In Saudi Arabia, the practicality of constructing
  desalination plants to extract salt and other
  minerals from sea water became a necessity, and
  27 plants have been constructed there, supplying
  70 of the countrys drinking water and more than
  28 million megawatts of electricity.

• Note
• Supposed to be worlds largest plant in the
  Eastern Province. Costs 3.8 billion in U.S.
  dollars.
• Carries fresh water to Saudi cities using 2,500
  miles of water pipes.

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Seawater Desal Costs / Issues

• Are construction costs too excessive?
• Are costs to the end-user acceptable?
• Are there acceptable ways to dispose of the
  brine?
• Long-term economical power supply is a major
  requirement.
• What happens when another Deepwater Horizon oil
  spill occurs?

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DESALINATIONIN TEXAS

• Due to the many obstacles to develop either
  surface or ground water projects, new economic
  development in Texas is in jeopardy.
• How Critical Is It for the State to Develop
  Seawater Desalination Supplies?
• Very Critical
• But the more relevant question may be
• Will the state help permit and finance the
  infrastructure for seawater desalination projects?

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