Bass-n-Bucks Photo By Patty Lenderman Lakecaster 6/11/2007 Freck & McMillen seizes win in Bass N Bucks Summer Series kick-off by Patty Lenderman It was a fresh start to another 2007 tournament series for Bass N Bucks June 9 on Sam Rayburn. The Summer Series, totally separate from the first tournament series in the spring, consists of only three tournaments. Mike Freck and Roney McMillen topped the field with summertime bass taking 1st place overall and Big Bass honors. http://www.thelakecaster.com/current/Tournament_Results/ From Walter West; The discussion of Angelina & Nacogdoches Counties water use (see below) below is currently posted on the Pine Blog @ http://www.lufkindailymuse.com. Check it out. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Region manager (Todd Driscoll) has written the Jasper and Lufkin Economic Development community leaders asking for their support of a study designed to establish the economic impact of Rayburn angling activity on the region. The response of the Economic Development leaders to the TPWD request should be of interest and indicative of the two communities Economic Development promoters commitment to attract retirees, visitors, and water sports participants with money to spend in the area. Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:47:39 -0500 To: Adrian, Bagget, Dennis Ro, DianA, GinaD, HBuchanan, JeffB, JeffH, RandiM, RBacon, Rbarton, Rdonovan, ScottA, Todd, WernerR, BShaw, KKramer, Janice B, James S, BShaw From: Walter West <waltnan@gotsky.com> Subject: Water Use - Lufkin Nacogdoches The text below is intended to stimulate your interest in the existing plans for water use in Texas. In my opinion, the bottom lines are: 1) The justification for funding a $55 million pipeline from Sam Rayburn to Lufkin is dubious at best. 2) The existing LNVA water rights to draw down Sam Rayburn to an elevation of 149 feet should be revised to an elevation that will sustain water sport activities on Rayburn and maintain Rayburn's attraction to retirees. Please give these issues your consideration. Thanx Walt West Angelina & Nacogdoches County Water Use 6/12/07 Fact - The current governing body of the Pineywoods Ground Water Conservation District (GWCD) is comprised of the City Engineers from Lufkin and Nacogdoches, a Manager from the Angelina Water Supply Corp., a SFA University Secretary, the President of the Carizzo Creek Corporation, a Temple Inland Finance Officer, and a Pilgrims Pride Representative. The GWCD management plan indicates that all were appointed. Discussion – Obviously, large scale agribusiness (primarily poultry & timber production interests) is currently positioned to control and manage the Pineywoods GWCD. Business and real estate interests that are dependent upon the retirement community’s and regional recreational activities contribution to the regions economy are not represented on the board. The GWCD governing body together with the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has the power to control all water supplies in the two county region and the Angelina and Neches River basin including Sam Rayburn reservoir. Their decisions will ultimately effect water removal from Sam Rayburn Reservoir; the water body that provides the greatest attraction to retirees and water sport participants in E. Texas. The Lower Neches Valley River Authority (LNVA) is positioned to market all surface water with the Angelina / Neches basin. Currently the LNVA has the right to market Sam Rayburn water down to an elevation of 149 feet. The drought of 1996 resulted in a Rayburn water elevation decline to just over 151 feet - two feet above the LNVA limit. At the 1996 level recreational activity was drastically reduced because boat ramps were not useable even though Rayburn water was not withdrawn for local use. In 1996 local business enterprises in Jasper and Angelina counties failed and the regions economy briefly declined as a consequence of diminished recreational activity. Fact – Data presented in the GWCD plan indicates there will be no significant change in ground water withdrawal in Angelina & Nacogdoches Counties in the period beginning in 2000 and extending through the year 2060, with only minor deviations in surface water withdrawal from Lake Nacogdoches.[1] The annual production from “permitted wells” is listed as “around 29,000 ac-ft”.[2] The GWCD plan also contains the following. Predicted ground water levels in the period from 2000 to 2050 are expected to increase over large areas of the counties. The predicted Carrizo aquifer increases in elevation ranged from 10 to 100 feet and the Wilcox aquifer increases ranged from 10 to 50 feet.[3] Data from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) Plan[4] was included in the GWCD management Plan. The TWDB plan indicates that in the year 2000, the total “projected” water demands in Angelina and Nacogdoches Counties was 60,369 ac-ft. Discussion – It seems unreasonable to assert or base projections on a premise that there will be no increase in ground water production in the District unless the existing wells are already withdrawing the volume of water that the aquifers can sustain. With consideration of the aquifer increases resulting from use of the district’s water models the premise seems unsupportable. The disparity between the TWDB plan projections and the historically based GWCD annual production figures (60,639 ac-ft versus 29,000 ac-ft) is significant. In the year 2000, water demands of Angelina County were met by existing infrastructure that is almost entirely dependent upon ground water. It is evident that the TWDB projected water demands for 2000 were grossly over estimated - by approximately 200 percent! Note that the preceding statement does not account for the relatively small Lake Nacogdoches surface water contribution to the water supplied to Nacogdoches which was listed as 1123 ac ft per year. Fact – Only one city in the District currently uses surface water. Nacogdoches is in the process of increasing their capability to treat surface water from 6.75 to 18.5 mgd. The completion date is given as 2005. The City of Lufkin is planning construction of a system to transport 10 - 25 mgd of water from Rayburn to serve Lufkin, Zavalla, and Huntington.[5] Discussion – Assuming completion of the Nacogdoches water treatment facility expansion, the increase in treated surface water available from Lake Nacogdoches is 20,720 acre-ft per year. The GWCD plan does not explicitly define an increase in the available safe yield of ground water that is made available as a consequence of closure of the Lufkin paper mill. However, the paper mill closure undoubtedly has a significant beneficial effect on available ground water. The mill average treated waste water discharge was significant when operating - about 18 mgd or 20,162 acre-ft per year. Note that currently the City of Lufkin daily average use is about 8.0 mgd; much less than the paper mill’s needs when it was operational. Fact – In general Pineywoods Conservation District rules require a production fee of $0.015 per 1000 gallons. However, wells used for domestic use and wells used for provision of water to livestock or poultry that produce less than 100,000 gallons per day are exempt from any production fees.[6] Other exemptions are provided to water wells drilled to support oil and gas well drilling operations. [1] Pineywoods Groundwater Conservation District Management Plan, Pages 16,17 [2] Pineywoods Groundwater Conservation District Management Plan, Page 20 [3] Pineywoods Groundwater Conservation District Management Plan, Page 21, Figures 1&2 – pages 81,83 [4] Pineywoods Groundwater Conservation District Management Plan, Pages 15,16,17 [5] Pineywoods Groundwater Conservation District Management Plan, Page 31 [6] Pineywoods Groundwater Conservation District Rules, Page 10