POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE ASSOCIATION AUGUST 2013
P. O. Box 492, Graford, Texas 76449 www.pklakeassn.org

Important Notice “Let’s Talk Water”       We need you!

Possum Kingdom Lake Association will host a community meeting Saturday, October 12, 2013 at PK Chamber at 10am.  The agenda will include Jordan Furnans speaking about future lake levels.  Dr. Furnans is an expert in his field and has been retained by PKLA because of his widely respected knowledge and experience.  PLEASE come, invite your neighbors to attend and encourage them to become members.  For those who saw his presentation at the annual meeting, Dr. Furnans has continued his study and has new, very important, results to present. Membership involvement and financial support is critical to protect our lake from the BRA’s unprecedented request to sell water. To win this battle, we have to have your support and that of your neighbors.  Your efforts helped pass HB 3031, which allowed purchase of your property at the lake and we are appealing for that support again.  We need your help in stopping the approval of BRA’s historical request for water now pending before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

We have a plan!! Please plan to attend this meeting and get involved.

TCEQ / BRA Application

BRA’s permit application for additional million+ acre feet of water is moving to the next step at TCEQ.  BRA was required to submit a Water Management Plan which TCEQ has reviewed and now put in process for a final decision.

Just Happened As the initial step in this process, a public meeting was held in Hewitt, TX. Approximately 150 attended the meeting that was divided into (1) overview, (2) question and answer, and (3) formal comments on the record.   The meeting was moderated by a TCEQ facilitator and there were 4 attendees each from the BRA and the TCEQ.  PKLA filed written formal comments and also affirmed those comments during the formal comments period.  We are on the record opposed to approval of the application.

Before closing the meeting, the TCEQ moderator reinforced that the TCEQ will accept all comments received by

August 12th.

What is next-To request to be a party or have standing, you must attend the preliminary hearing and show you would be affected by the application in a way not common to the general public. Any person may attend the hearing and request to be a party. Only persons named as parties may participate in the hearings before the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) judge.  These hearings must be completed and the judge’s findings returned to TCEQ by January 2014.  The preliminary hearing, where parties will be named, is to be held on Monday, August 26, 2013 at 9 a.m., at the State Office of Administrative Hearings located at 300 West 15^th, Suite 502, and Austin, Texas.  When the SOAH judge’s findings are reported to the TCEQ by the end of January, 2014, the TCEQ will schedule a hearing where the Commissioners will take additional comment and make a determination of approval or denial.  At that final hearing, we expect that we will need a tremendous outpouring of public opposition to the approval.  You can expect to hear a lot more about this as we move forward.
BRA Directors Meeting Waco

On Monday July 29, 2013 BRA directors met and discussed the following PK agenda items:

7. Executive Session -a. BRA discussed their TCEQ application with their lawyer during executive session.
8. BRA passed a resolution that gave Phil Ford, CEO, authority to do whatever was required to resolve the problems with the newly installed conduit. BRA remains hopeful that problems can be remedied by October.
9. Budget amendment for PK Baffles and Pier 8– Amending the budget allows BRA staff ability to continue to work on projects while work on the conduit continues. Mike McClendon explained the amendment would allow for work on 2014 projects, since BRA staff cannot work in the area where the conduit is located.
10. Survey Services required for sale of land in SB918. BRA directors directed staff to set up an RFB for survey services on the land to be sold in SB918.
11. West Central Brazos Water Distribution System– (Kerr McGee pipeline) Two SUD’s (Stephens County & Fort Phantom) are coming on line and will be using the pipeline to secure water from PK. Transportation of this water will run through the old Kerr McGee pipeline. A water rate resolution was passed to set their rates.
12. Legislative Update– Matt Phillips reported on the following bills-HB 4 creates State Water Plan to prioritize water projects. HB 1025 appropriates $2 billion from Rainy Day Fund to fund HB 4 and SJR 1 creates and constitutionally dedicates new State Water Plan and authorizes funds which require voter approval in November.

HB 2362 allows the legislative Budget Board to review the effectiveness and efficiency of the policies, management, fiscal affairs, and operations of river authorities.  LCRA and BRA will be the first to be reviewed.

Although legislation for creation of a Water Master failed, there was a petition for a Water Master filed in January with TCEQ that is currently moving through the process.  The next hearing on this petition will be September 23, 2013.

 

FERC & Conduit

Decommissioning requires the installation of the conduit.  Although the conduit has been installed, BRA directors are not satisfied with operation. . Once the conduit is satisfactorily completed, FERC will inspect the dam and give final approval of decertification. The sale of remaining PK properties cannot occur until FERC approves all work on Dam.

E-Mail Address

 It is important that we have your e-mail address to contact you with timely issues.  Recently PKLA sent out an e-mail alert about the BRA meeting in Waco and postings on PKLA web-site. (pklakeassn.org)  We had approximately 20 e-mails returned undeliverable.  Please add Ken Monroe (monroe53@earthlink.net) to your address book.  If you have not received an e-mail recently please e-mail Ken so we can check your address.