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0",., 6"11:' U..l .C '-' July 22, 1993 Issue No. 1001 m~V;..:~.~t-..'~.' ~t=7"'''_~=t: ,'!-"'i.. s..C_,. . _, ___~, -, f~:' ; 1___ d --,_.~.. , m J TIIE WEEKLY NEWSLhl'l'ER OF THE WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL . Creekview Plaza, Suite A-20l/942 East 7145 So. / Midvale, Utah 84047 / (801) 561-5300 / FAX (801) 255-%42 editor - Tony Willardson typist - Carrie Curvin WATER QUAUTY Clean Water Act-Reauthorization . Rep. DeFazio (D-OR) has introduced H.R. 2580, the Clean Water Compliance Act, to give EPA authority to regulate radioactive discharges into ground and sur1ace water at federal sites. The bill would close a loophole in last year's Federal Facilities Compliance Act by clarifying that radioactive materials regulated under the Atomic Energy Act are defined as pollutants under the Clean Water Act. The legislation would help deal with water quality problems at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington and the National Engineering Laboratory in Idaho. WATER RESOURCES Texas . The Texas Water Commission has released an overview of its Trans-Texas Water Program (TTWP), included as part of the state. water plan. - Under the Texas Water Code, the Board is directed to prepare and maintain a comprehensive state water plan as a flexible guide to water management. The plan was updated in 1992 to include population and water demand projections through 2040 and to identify areas of projected water supply deficits. Immediate needs exist in southeast Texas areas served by the San Jacinto River Authority and in south-central Texas, particularly in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. Long- term water supply problems are projected for Houston and Austin. The TTWP is intended to address the water needs of these growth centers. The TTWP goal is to identify the most cost-effective and environmentally sensitive strategies for meeting current and future water demands. It began as an 18- chairman - Dave Kennedy executive director - craig Bell month study to examine both short and long-term needs and strategies for reducing them through promoting conservation and reuse, increasing water supplies, and transferring water from areas of abundance to areas of potelltial shortage. Alternatives will be evaluated based on technical feasibility, cost, and environmental acceptability. The program was initiated after a water planning 'summit' held by the mayors of Houston, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi. Water conservation, innovative management, environmental needs, and public participation are key TTWP features. Progress in water conservation has been factored into baseline water demand projections, but the potential for additional water savings will be evaluated. Other strategies to be considered include expanded water reuse, desalination, ground water recharge enhancement, conjunctive management of sur1ace and ground water, and demand management during drought. In addition to examining local water supplies, the study will evaluate options for sharing water among river basins and water 'wheeling' arrangernentsinvoiving either water rights exchanges or physical water transfers, One alternative to be studied would bring water from the Toledo Bend Reservoir in East Texas to the Houston area to free up water supplies that could be prOVided to Austin, Corpus Christi, or San Antonio. The state has forged a partnership with local and regional water agencies that serve the metropolitan centers. Technical advisory committees in each study area will be open to interested parties. TTWP Phase I involves program initiation and conceptual planning to 'screen' a full range of water management strategies in terms of technical feasibility, cost, legal and institutional issues, environmental criteria, water quality, and other factors. Under Phase II more in-depth feasibility studies will be undertaken.