Western States Water Council 2001 Report

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The Council adopted the recommendations of the respective committees regarding external policy positions. In light of the resignation of Roger Patterson of Nebraska as Secretary - Treasurer,' the Council elected Jack Stults, head of the Water Resources Division of the Montana Department ofNatural Resources and Conservation, to replace him in this position. Hal Simpson, State Engineer of Colorado and Duane Smith, Director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, were re- elected as Chair and Vice - Chair, respectively. 149th Council Meetings San Antonio, Texas October 19 -21, 2005 The 149th meetings of the Council were held in San Antonio, Texas on October 19 -21. Governor Rick Perry wrote, welcoming members to the Lone Star State, "Since the early pioneer days, many have converged upon this great land to chart a new day for themselves and their families.... As we look to that future, no issue is more important than ensuring sound stewardship of our resources. We take pride in our awareness of water issues, and take seriously the challenge of balancing the management of this resource to meet the needs of our people, our economy, and our environment. The 50 -year Texas State Water Plan is a monumental achievement in water policy; the plan provides a comprehensive assessment of water supplies in Texas and identifies locally formulated strategies to ensure that these supplies are developed and managed effectively and efficiently. Continuing and implementing these measures in Texas, and other initiatives throughout the nation, demands unrelenting focus. As you continue to do so, I wish you every success. The meetings began with a roundtable discussion focused on sustainable water development and funding, particularly in rural areas, that is summarized under "other meetings" in this report. Following the roundtable, Council members and guests enjoyed a tour of some of the facilities of the San Antonio Water Authority (SAWS), including a ground water recharge project, their flood control tunnel inlet and outlet works, and a joint wastewater treatment /wildlife project operated in cooperation with the Audubon Society at Lake Mitchell. The tour also included the San Jose Mission and parts of the acequia (community ditch) system that connects the old Spanish missions. It concluded with a visit to the Witte Museum and its World of Water exhibit, where the tour joined a social hour hosted by the Texas Water Conservation Association. On Thursday, the Water Quality Committee met first. Roger Gorke, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Water, filled in for Ben Grumbles, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water, who was unable to attend as he had been called to testify before the Congress. The Committee discussed a long list of topics including the integration of water quality and water quantity policies, treatment of tribes as states (TAS) in setting water quality standards, Good Samaritan cleanups of abandon mines, confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), water quality program funding issues, water transfers, the Ninth Circuit Court's decision setting aside EPA's delegation of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting authority to Arizona, and other matters. The Committee did act to recommend that a sunsetting position in support of EPA's Section 319 program be renewed, and resent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and EPA. The Committee also suggested adding an another paragraph regarding selenium control to a proposed position on the Farm Bill. The Water Resources Committee met next, and made a number of changes to the proposed Farm Bill position. Many related issues of interest had been discussed during the roundtable on 'Western States Water, Issue #1625, July 8, 2005 22