The EAA hosted its annual Edwards Aquifer Authority Summit Luncheon with the theme of Managing, Enhancing, and Protecting Your Edwards Aquifer Through Science, Service and Education.
Marking the third year of this event, KENS 5 Weather Chief Bill Taylor was the emcee of the afternoon, which hosted over 200 people including EAA permit holders, EAA board members, stakeholders and officials from cities throughout the agency’s eight-county jurisdiction.
The EAA EOC houses aquariums featuring endangered Texas blind salamanders and fountain darters, which are protected by the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan. Among the guests that attended were Joe Pantalion, City of San Marcos Assistant City Manager and Mark Enders, Habitat Conservation Plan Manager for the City of San Marcos.
EAA General Manager, Roland Ruiz, and Texas Water Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, discussed the agency’s mission, current topics revolving around the aquifer, and the future of aquifer management for the agency.
“I think the state of Texas sees the work of the EAA as a success story, I think the region certainly does, because the Edwards [Aquifer] continues to be reliable, there’s a level of certainty around it as a resource, that did not exist prior to there being these regulatory programs in place and education/conservation programs in place. So, I think it’s a success story, I’m thankful that I am a part of it.” – Roland Ruiz, EAA General Manager
This was preceded by an aquifer conditions report made by EAA Senior Director of Aquifer Science Research & Modeling, Paul Bertetti. During the event, guests had the opportunity to learn more about the agency’s work with a resource fair comprised of EAA staff. Additionally, guests were able to tour the EAA Field Research Park, which is a hub for groundwater-related sustainability and aquifer behavior research as well as the EAA Education Outreach Center (EAA EOC), which has been visited by almost 10,000 guests this year.
The center is completely free and open to the public, and interested attendees can schedule a visit to the center by visiting eaaeoc.org
