Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance

“Draft version of form 990 presented to board members before return is accepted and filed.”

“The officers and board members annually sign a "conflict of interest discl osure form" disclosing any conflicts of interest or stating that no confli cts exist.”

“The board of directors approves the executive director's salary through pe rformance assessments and approval of the annual budget.”

“The governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial stateme nts are made available to the public upon request.”

“The greater edwards aquifer alliance (geaa) has originated a comprehensive program of science, advocacy, and public engagement aimed at protecting the quality and quantity of spring flows from the edwards and trinity aquifers. We are in need of support to fund science, advocacy and public participation projects by geaa and our member groups in key policy making processes that are currently underway.”

“San antonio soil carbon project - geaa was awarded a grant from the city of san antonio to assist city and federal authorities in a study of the impact of green infrastructure on soil carbon sequestration and water quality in thirty-two san antonio parks. The project will serve as a proof-of-concept in order to demonstrate that enhanced carbon sequestration and groundwater infiltration can be achieved in urban areas by employing best management practices. This is the first project of this type to research how significant gains in carbon sequestration might be achieved by enhancing soil organic matter and appropriate plant management in urban open spaces. If successful, this project will help san antonio to meet its climate action goals. Legislative program - we provide expert testimony and researches issues as needed by the members of the house and senate natural resource committees and our regional delegation to inform decisions made in the state legislature pertinent to the management of our water resources. We visit with legislators and research impacts of proposed legislation. We also assemble and secure consensus on an agenda for each legislative session and provide testimony accordingly. E-mail alerts that educate the public about actions to support or oppose bills of particular importance engage hundreds of individuals in geaa's advocacy efforts. Technical assistance program - this program provides our member groups, governmental agencies and policymakers, and the public at large with technical expertise and access to information that addresses issues of regional and local concern as related to the preservation of the quality and quantity of water edwards aquifer, its contributing atersheds, and its indigenous plant and animal species. Citizens, news media, and, increasingly, elected officials and public agencies rely on geaa staff to provide or direct them to technical expertise regarding the management and protection of the edwards and trinity karst aquifer formations. Public comment and ad hoc issues - geaa receives requests for technical assistance on a regular basis on a wide variety of issues from individual landowners, regional municipalities, and state and federal governmental agencies soliciting public comment on programs and policies relating to our ground and surface water systems. The expertise of our technical taff is critical to expanding our capacity to promote adequate protection of our water resources and is essential to accomplishing our goals. We rely upon the largesse of several experts who have volunteered their time and the benefit of their expertise as needed on specific projects. Because of the recognized excellence of our work, geaa is regularly called upon to research specific issues and projects, to comment on proposed projects, rules and programs, and to generate policy and regulatory recommendations and remedies. Geaa provides practical guidance to the development and construction industries, enhancing our ability to further our goal of aquifer rotection by furnishing expertise on proven methods and practices to developers referred to geaa by government agencies to advise on specific projects. Additionally, geaa will continue to work with municipalities within the edwards region to promote the adoption of sustainable development techniques into municipal building codes and state- recommended best management practices. Regional flood planning and green infrastructure - geaa staff members are serving on the texas water development board's regional flood planning groups for the san antonio and guadalupe river basins. Through this three-year flood planning process, we are promoting land preservation and the use of green infrastructure to mitigate flooding while advising local communities to incorporate green infrastructure techniques into their ordinances and policies. Under your feet campaign - much of the recent growth in our region has taken place over the recharge and contributing zones of t”