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Watershed Committee Resources

Meeting Schedules

Next Meeting:

Tuesday, June 8 from 5:30 to 8:30 in the Blanco Room at the Wimberley Community Center

Past Meetings:

Tuesday, March 30 from 5:30 to 8:00 in the Blanco room at the Wimberley Community Center (meeting notes)

Wednesday January 20, 2010 6:30 - 8:30 pm, Blanco Room of the Wimberley Community Center (meeting notes)

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 6:00 pm in the Blanco Room at the Wimberley Community Center (See Agenda)

Friday, July 31, 2009 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, Tour of the Watershed Starting at the Wimberley Community Center (See Agenda)

Wednesday, June 3, 2009 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Wimberley Community Center (See Agenda)

See Past Meeting Agendas

Upcoming Sub-Committees Meetings

Decision Support System - TBA

Economics - TBA

Education and Outreach - TBA

Land Stewardship (Formerly Habitat, Parks and Agriculture) - Thursday, May 13 at 10:00 am

Water Quantity - Tuesday, June 1 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at Woodcreek City Hall

Water Quality - TBA

Committee Members
Chair: Scott Johnson (Committee Chair)

Steve Thurber (Wimberley City Council)
Karen Ford (Hays County Commissioner)
Melinda Gumbert (Woodcreek, WVWA)
Jackie Maloy (Keller Williams Reality)
David Glenn (Wimberley Planning and Zoning Commission, VAG)
Rachel Ranft (The Nature Conservancy)
David Baker (WVWA, HTGCD)
Sally Caldwell (Woodcreek City Council)
Debbie Magin (GBRA)
Gordon Linam (TX Parks and Wildlife)
Kristen Barcher (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality)
Aaron Wendt (Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board)
Jack Hollon (WVWA, HTGCD)
Will Conley (Hays County Commissioner)
Malcolm Harris (Fowler Law firm)
Kasey Mock (Texas AgriLife Extension - Hays County)

 

General Purpose of Committee

• Identify, prioritize, and find solutions for problems in the watershed
• Provide input and buy-in of decision support system
• Involve broader community

General Tasks of Commitee

• Define water quality
• Identify causes and sources of water quality problems
• Identify standards to protect water quality
• Identify who can protect water quality
• Idenify protection measures already in place
• Identify new measures needed
• Develop a strategy for action - a Watershed Protection Plan

What is a Watershed Protection Plan?
A Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) is a coordinated framework for implementing prioritized and integrated water quality protection and restoration strategies driven by environmental objectives. Through the WPP process, stakeholders holistically address all of the sources and causes of impairments and threats to both surface and ground water resources within a watershed. Developed and implemented through diverse, well integrated partnerships, a WPP assures the long-term health of the watershed with strategies for protecting unimpaired waters and restoring impaired waters.
Watershed Protection Plans have a variety of ingredients and can take many forms. WPPs are consistent with guidelines promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2003.
For more information about Watershed Protection Plans visit the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board at http://www.tsswcb.state.tx.us/en/wpp.

EPA Handbook to Developing a Watershed Protection Plan

Nine elements of a Watershed Protection Plan (EPA):

A.)  Identification of the causes that will need to be controlled to achieve the load reductions
B.)  Estimate of the load reductions expected for the management measures
C.)  Description of management measures that will need to be implemented to achieve the load reductions
D.)  Estimate of technical and financial assistance needed to implement this plan
E.)  Information/education component that will be used to enhance public understanding of the plan
F.)  Schedule for implementing management measures
G.)  Description of interim, measurable milestones for determining whether management measures are being implemented
H.)  Set of criteria that can be used to determine whether load reductions are being achieved
I.)  Monitoring component to evaluate effectiveness of implementation measured against the criteria established

Subcommittee Purpose:
The Subcommittees propose recommendations based on their topic to the Watershed Committee. The Watershed committee then decides what measures should be implemented within the draft for the Watershed Protection Plan. Within a year this stakeholder process will produce a draft summary of all their findings based on their group’s tasks as defined by the Nine Elements. Since this is a preventive, proactive process for a watershed with no significant impairments, measures should seek to not only to improve water quality/quantity but also serve as a guide to conserve/preserve resources within the watershed for future generations.

Overall Tasks through Subcommittee Work (Based on EPA guidance and June 2009 Watershed Committee meeting):  

1. Community definition of water quality
2. Identification of water quality/quantity problems
   1. Gather data, information, and identify gaps
   2. Identify causes and sources of pollution
   3. Identify critical areas of the watershed
3. Identify standards to protect water quality
4. Identify who can protect water quality
5. Identify protection measures in place
6. Identify new measures needed - Best Management Practices that could be used to reduce pollution and estimated benefit
7. Identify technical and financial assistance needs
8. Develop communication and outreach approach
9. Develop a strategy for action, implementation, and monitoring
10. Develop criteria for assessing success

>>Watershed Committee Survey (Members Only) - Click Here<<

 

 

Past Meeting Agendas

Agenda 10/21/09

1. Opening Comments/Discussion (6:30-6:50)
2. Welcome & Introductions
3. Overview of the Purpose of the Cypress Creek Project
4. Subcommittee Membership
5. Brief Cypress Creek Budget Overview (6:50-7:00)
6. Discussion of Ground Rules for the Committee (7:00-7:10) See Below
7. Brief Overview of Laws and Ordinances in the Watershed (7:10-7:25)
8. Subcommittee Chairs present 10 minute summary of their meetings (7:25-8:25)
9. Other Items (8:25-8:30)

• Schedule next Watershed Committee Meeting and Close (8:30)

Ground rules for Cypress Watershed Committee:

• Be open to new concepts and be respectful of other points of view.
• There will be no audio or visual recording of meeting; minutes of meetings will be brief overviews of topics discussed and will be placed on the website
• New Watershed Committee members must be approved by the Committee Functions Subcommittee.
  • Watershed Committee members may submit individual recommendations to the Committee Functions Subcommittee.
• All Watershed Committee members agree to make an effort to attend all Watershed Committee meetings; however, we recognize that members may have other obligations.
  • If members are unable to attend the meeting, they may send a replacement.
  • Three absences in a row without prior notice or an alternate replacement signify a resignation from the Watershed Committee.
• Watershed Committee decisions:
  • Committee will approve recommendations by consensus.
  • If consensus cannot be reached, then recommendations will be approved by 2/3 majority.
• Subcommittees:
  • Subcommittee Chairs will facilitate, schedule, and recruit members for their Subcommittee
  • There is no limit to the number of members within each subcommittee, new members can join with Subcommittee chairs approval
  • Subcommittee Chairs will present summaries of meetings to the Watershed Committee
  • Subcommittee will make recommendations based on information they have gathered and on input from stakeholders.
    • Subcommittee recommendations will be accepted based on Watershed Committee consensus with final approval from the Watershed Committee Chair.

Agenda 7/31/09

Tour of the Watershed

1. Depart from Wimberley Community Center 9:05 am
2. Woodcreek North construction Site (9:25 - 9:35)
3. Jacob's Well (9:45 - 10:00)
4. Scott Johnson’s Ranch at Blue Hole (10:15 - 10:30)
5. Confluence with Blanco River (10:40 - 10:50)
6. Return to Wimberley Community Center 11:00 am

Lunch served by Linda’s Fine Foods – Working Lunch
Review main goals of Cypress Watershed Committee
Discuss Subcommittees and Tasks
Membership for Watershed Committee and Subcommittee
Discuss Geographic Scope of the project
Schedule Watershed Committee: October 21st 6:30-8:30 pm
Subcommittees

 

Agenda 6/3/09

Initial Meeting

• INTRODUCTIONS
• OVERVIEW OF CYPRESS Creek Project
  • project accomplishments : Jason Pinchback
  • Cypress Creek science: Adrian Vogl
  • Lessons learned: Kristina Tower
• Discuss Watershed Committee purpose and charge
• Discuss Watershed Committee roles and responsibilities
  • Discuss other stakeholders/individuals that should be involved
  • Chair Selection
• Discuss subcommittees topics and divide into groups based on interest/expertise.
  • Elect Chairman/point of contact for each Subcommittee

Discuss Next Steps/Calendar