1. Ecological Aspects of Region L By: Joseph Trahan, Stephanie Collinge, Maura Kush and Wes Crochet

2. Region L

3. Hydrological Features of Region L Rivers: Guadalupe, San Antonio, Nueces, Lavaca-Guadalupe, San Antonio-Nueces Aquifers: Edwards (BFZ), Trinity, Carrizo- Wilcox, Gulf Coast

4. Nueces San Antonio Guadalupe

5. Issues The Region needs to start lessening its dependence on water from the Edward’s Aquifer in order to protect spring flows at Comal and San Marcos Springs and protect the threat against endangered species.

6. Guadalupe River Diversion to San Antonio This strategy would include serious reductions in freshwater inflows to the Guadalupe estuary, and threatens endangered Whooping Cranes at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. And although Region L has begun to back out of this plan, they have not dropped it entirely.

7. Groundwater Projects The Groundwater projects proposed in the Plan could result in a draw down in the Trinity, Carrizo and Gulf Coast Aquifers, thus affecting the flow of both spring flow and the base flow to aquifers and estuaries.

8. Problems that we MUST address In order to prevent drought and increase conservation of our water, we must implement two important plans.

9. Irrigation Water Conservation Strategies We must formulate and implement some sort of strategy that insures that irrigation conservation is being practiced to the extent feasible. This is one of the primary issues Region L must address when discussing the conservation of their water solely because irrigation is such a great user of water.

10. Drought Management In times of drought, we must consider existing local statuary limitations on non- essential water use during times of drought. This directly causes and inflated demand on more and more costly water projects.

11. Endangered Animals of the Edwards Aquifer Fountain Darter Texas Blind Salamander San Marcos Gambusia Comal Springs Riffle Beetle Comal Springs Dryopid Beetle Peck’s Cave Amphipod

12. Habitat Degradation Over 40 species of highly adapted, aquatic, subterranean species are known to live in the Edwards Aquifer. The main problems for all the species are reduced spring flows caused by increased pumping, elimination of habitat, and degradation of water quality caused by urban expansion.

13. Bibliography http://www.texaswatermatters.org/region_l.ht m http://www.regionltexas.org/ http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/year3/geogr aphy.php http://www.edwardsaquifer.net/species.html