Possum Kingdom Lake is the Brazos River Authority's most pristine water body. And because it's pristine, it's also the most sensitive.
Protecting that high water quality, usability, and reliability as a public water supply is part of the BRA's mission, and with that in mind, the organization is embarking on a project to develop a comprehensive water quality modeling tool to assist in evaluating the impact of proposed changes in the watershed. At its July 2024 meeting, the Board of Directors approved an up to $2.97 million multi-year contract for the development of the Possum Kingdom Water Quality Model with Aqua Strategies.
The purpose of the model is to provide scientifically-based guidance that BRA can utilize to predict how surface waters will respond to changes in the watershed and to evaluate potential impacts from future development in the watershed on the reservoir's usability and reliability as a public water supply and recreational water body, said Tiffany Malzahn, BRA's environmental and compliance manager. This information will help BRA provide regulatory agencies data as to the potential impacts to the reservoir and provide BRA with information to help support reservoir management decisions, Malzahn said.
Depending on hydrologic conditions of any given year, the water stored in PK supports not only lakeside communities but also BRA water supply users throughout the mainstem of the Brazos from Abilene to Freeport near the Gulf of America. In 2023, 5,463-acre feet of PK's stored water went to lakeside water use, while 11,958-acre feet were released for downstream water supply purposes and 43,319-acre feet were released downstream for environmental purposes, Malzahn said.
Why is Possum Kingdom Lake so sensitive to change? The reservoir has naturally low turbidity. Additionally, in 2018, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality adopted numerical nutrient criteria for the lake in response to a directive from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Malzahn said. The adopted standard is designed to protect PK's current high level of water quality and does not allow much room for increases from point and non-point sources of pollution. PK is currently BRA's only reservoir that has numerical nutrient criteria established as part of the Texas Surface Water Quality Standards.
As the population of the state increases, once rural areas like Palo Pinto County, have drawn the attention of both industry and land developers, Malzahn said. With more people comes the increased likelihood of impacts to water quality, as well as increased demand and usage of BRA water supplies.
The project will take several years. Malzahn said she intends for it to be a pilot program that, if successful, can be developed for the BRA's other two reservoirs: Lakes Granbury and Limestone.
Fiscal Year 2025 Budget
During the meeting, the Board of Directors also approved the fiscal year 2025 operating plan and multi-year capital improvement plan. Based on the Board's direction to be customer-focused and aggressive in developing water and water treatment solutions throughout the Brazos River Basin, the total operating budget was approved at more than $92.7 million.
The budget assumes a 6.4% increase (from $93.50/acre-foot to $99.50/acre-foot) for both the System Water Rate and Interruptible Water Rate and a 6.4% increase in the Agricultural Water Rate (from $65.45/acre-foot to $69.65/acre-foot).
The budget accounts for an increase to the BRA's health insurance costs of 23%, five new full-time positions, and an increase in operations and maintenance costs associated with the water storage contracts in federal reservoirs, said Michele Giroir, BRA's chief financial officer. There also is roughly $43.1 million allocated for capital improvement projects, the largest portion ($27.8 million) going toward new infrastructure.
The BRA uses the state fiscal year, which begins Sept. 1 and ends Aug. 31. The full budget will be online for review before the new fiscal year begins.
Also, during the meeting, the Board gave GM/CEO David Collinsworth an exemplary annual performance review, recognizing his outstanding work in managing the organization.
For a complete list of Board actions from the meeting, go here. Or watch the full Board meeting here.
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Learn more and take the opportunity to ask questions of BRA management at the BRA's virtual town hall meeting, the Brown Bag on the Brazos. Scheduled for noon, Thursday, August 15, 2024.
Still have questions? Email us at information@brazos.org.