GEAA: TCEQ Meeting Next Week

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is holding public meetings on their rules governing the Edwards Aquifer. You can attend one of the meetings and provide your comments there, or submit comments in writing by August 13. The purpose of the meeting is to provide input on how the TCEQ’s Edwards Rules are working and what actions TCEQ should take to protect the Aquifer from pollution.

GEAA will be submitting written comments as an organization, and we encourage everyone to attend one of the public meetings, relay your experience with the TCEQ Edwards rules, and share our ideas for how TCEQ can better protect the Aquifer, including:

• Establish impervious cover limits. Impervious cover has the largest effect on water quality and the environment at the point where water from the site is discharged. Limiting imperviousness on a site provides ample area to locate construction away from sensitive areas like wetlands, stream banks and karst recharge features. We recommend an impervious cover limit of 10% net site area in the recharge zone and 15% of net site area in the contributing zone.
• Where engineered controls are used, require removal of more than just Total Suspended Solids, but also the other constituents that are polluting our water supply: tetrachloroethylene, pesticides including atrazine and diazinon, benzene, arsenic, nitrogen, petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, lead and mercury.
• Require inspection and maintenance of water quality controls once they are built, with effective enforcement measures.
  

Because of the critical role the TCEQ’s Edwards rules serve, we also want to request another public meeting, with the TCEQ Commissioners.

The meeting dates and times are:
Austin: Tuesday, July 12, 2005, 9:30 a.m.
TCEQ Park 35 Office Complex, Building E
Room 201S

San Antonio: Wednesday, July 13, 2005, 6:30 p.m.
City of San Antonio Municipal Council Chambers
103 Main Plaza

Written comments should reference the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program and may be sent to:

Tracy Callen
TCEQ Field Operations Division, MC 174
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, TX 78711
Fax: 512-239-0404
Email: tcallen@tceq.state.tx.us