The Brown County Water Improvement District (BCWID) held a workshop on Tuesday to seek feedback regarding proposed changes that would expand the district’s drought contingency plan as well as implement changes in rates and structure for water irrigation customers.
A document released at the meeting states that one of the reasons that the Water Improvement District realized that changes needed to be made in their irrigation policy and drought contingency plan was due to the 2011 drought with the lake reaching an all-time low of 16.3 feet below spillway level. Officials said that after reviewing data including daily usage, lake levels and evaporation; district officials and consultants determined that the current drought contingency plan implemented by BCWID was not adequate for the drought. District officials proposed to amend the current drought contingency plan to prepare for current and future drought situations.
“One of the main items that probably is going to affect more people in Brown County than anything else and will have a bigger impact on those people is the changes in our drought contingency plan,” said BCWID General Manager Dennis Spinks. “The drought contingency plan that we have now is inadequate and was inadequate for the drought we had last summer and we are not out of the drought yet.”
The proposed new drought contingency plan would expand water restrictions from a three stage plan to five stages. The new plan would call for a percentage cutback on water usage when the lake hits certain levels. The proposed water restrictions would follow the following schedule for treated water users.
Stage 1 – 1420 Elevation – 5% reduction in water usage
Stage 2 – 1417 Elevation – 15% reduction in water usage
Stage 3 – 1414 Elevation – 30% reduction in water usage
Stage 4 – 1411 Elevation – 50% reduction in water usage
Stage 5 – 1408 Elevation – To be determined at initiation by Water District
If approved, the new plan would begin implementing water restrictions when the lake was just five feet below spillway level.
Officials said that these requirements would actually be applied to their wholesale water purchasers such as cities. It would be up to the cities to implement specific water restrictions to their customers to reach the required use reduction level.
District officials said that irrigation water in normal years account for up to 60% of water usage from Lake Brownwood and the proposed amended drought contingency plan would incorporate irrigation into the plan with different trigger points.
Officials said that in conjunction with an amended drought contingency plan, BCWID has been advised by consultants that all water sold from Lake Brownwood should be sold only under a contract. Currently, most irrigation water from Lake Brownwood is sold as ordered without a contract.
“The norm now for the state of Texas, and the United States, is that if you sell water, that water needs to be sold under a contract,” Spinks said. “We will be having contracts for all of our irrigation customers; we currently have contracts for all of the treated water.”
Officials are proposing two types of contracts for irrigation water, an interruptible water service contract and a firm water service contract. The interruptible contract would offer lower rates per acre foot of water sold, it would also have more restrictions implemented compared to the firm contract. Spinks said that if these changes are approved, there will be a base charge for irrigation customers and an application fee.
The Brown County Water Improvement District has been selling irrigation water since the 1930’s and there have been minimal changes to the policy since that time, and officials said that prices for irrigation water has changed little in the last 30 years.
A rate study performed by J. Stowe & Company for the district showed that the actual cost to the district to deliver irrigation water was $184.61 per acre foot in 2011. Current cost to the customer for irrigation water is $26 per acre foot.
District officials said that they will be looking at a rate increase to irrigation customers as they implement contracts for irrigation water.
“The number that the board is looking at right now is between $43 per acre foot and $50 an acre foot,” Spinks said.
BCWID will review all of the information regarding the drought contingency plan and irrigation contracts and rates at their next board meeting on April 10th.
Officials said that a long term solution to water issues in the area could be an alternative supply for Brown County, and the BCWID has begun a feasibility study for alternative sources of water which will be completed within 2 months. An alternative source would take extended time if one were available and could take 2 years or more to achieve.
