TEMPLE - The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board has extended the public comment period on the proposed State Water Supply Enhancement Plan until July 21, 2014. The State Water Supply Enhancement Plan serves as the State's comprehensive strategy for managing brush in all areas of the state where brush is contributing to a substantial water conservation problem.
The State Water Supply Enhancement Plan, formerly the State Brush Control Plan, must be updated and revised in order to continue implementing provisions of House Bill 1808 passed by the 82nd Texas Legislature.
A public hearing to receive oral comments on the proposed plan was held on July 1, 2014 in Temple.
“At the public hearing, we received a request to extend the deadline for accepting public comments on the draft plan. As a result, we’re extending the deadline for an additional two weeks. We want to ensure that all interested persons have an opportunity to provide constructive input on the development of this important state plan,” said Rex Isom, Executive Director of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
The State Water Supply Enhancement Plan also serves as the programmatic guidance for the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board’s Water Supply Enhancement Program. The purpose of the Water Supply Enhancement Program is to increase available surface and ground water supplies through the targeted control of brush species that are detrimental to water conservation, and the subsequent establishment of herbaceous vegetation on land where that brush has been controlled.
“Voluntary land stewardship, on a grand scale, is a cornerstone solution for water supply issues in Texas. The efforts of private landowners to control water-depleting brush are vitally important to the ecological health of our productive rangelands across the state,” said Isom.
Notice of the availability of the draft State Water Supply Enhancement Plan for public review and comment was originally published in the June 6, 2014 issue of the Texas Register. The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board has extended the comment period through July 21, 2014. Notice of the extended deadline will be published in the July 11, 2014 issue of the Texas Register.
Written comments on the proposed plan may be submitted by email to Aaron Wendt at awendt [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov. Comments must be received no later than the extended deadline July 21, 2014. The draft document is available online at the agency’s website http://www.tsswcb.texas.gov/brushcontrol or by contacting the agency directly.
“Many Texans today, especially those in urban areas, are generally less mindful of the public benefits, such as clean plentiful drinking water, they derive from the voluntary land stewardship provided by private landowners throughout the state,” said Isom. “The State Water Supply Enhancement Plan will direct the agency’s efforts to enhance public drinking water supplies by working with landowners to protect the natural resources of Texas.”
After the comment period, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board will address comments received and incorporate them into a final State Water Supply Enhancement Plan that will be considered for adoption by the agency on July 28, 2014.
Additional information on the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board’s Water Supply Enhancement Program is available at http://www.tsswcb.texas.gov/brushcontrol.