Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance Inc.

Filing Period

Jan 1, 2012 to Dec 31, 2012

Signed

Nov 14, 2013

Return Version

2012v2.0

Gross Receipts

$116,960

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

Capacity Building - GEAA staff provides member organizations with legal, technical, public relations and publicity, fundraising and administrative advice and services, as well as with financial support for specific projects that further the implementation of the Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan. GEAA hosts a retreat each year to engage representatives of all member organizations in setting policy, initiating new programs, and allocating resources. GEAA also presents workshops featuring experts in the fields of public relations, organizing, fundraising and campaigning, as well as presentations by government and elected officials and community activists, for the benefit of GEAA member groups and the public at large. The GEAA Technical Research Program provides our member groups, 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 the waters in the Edwards Aquifer, its contributing watersheds, and its indigenous plant and animal species. Sound science is necessary to advance policy recommendations, specifically those recommendations for protecting water quality and biodiversity and maintaining spring flow. Citizens, news media, and increasingly, public agencies, rely on GEAA staff to provide or direct them to technical expertise regarding the management and protection of the Edwards and Trinity formations. GEAA is regularly called upon to research specific issues and projects, to comment on proposed rules and programs, and to generate policy and regulatory recommendations and remedies. GEAA technical staff works with regulatory agencies and local governments to promote measures proven to provide adequate protection of our water resources. Key science areas include biology, environmental engineering, hydrology, and hydrogeology. GEAAs efforts to date have produced solid results. A perusal of the document section on our website reveals the scope and merit of technical research generated by GEAA on topics of importance to protection of the Edwards Aquifer. Our recommendations to the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) on proposed rules for Hazardous Materials were incorporated in their entirety into the draft presented by EAA staff for public comment and approved by the EAA Board in March 2008. GEAA comments submitted to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concerning the proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Comal Springs Invertebrates were praised by top experts and widely circulated among those working in this field. The GEAA Technical Team conducts research and publishes reports on various issues of specific concern to proper management of the Edwards Aquifer. Our White Paper on Permanent BMPs, published in 2010, resulted in focusing regulatory reform to protect the Edwards from contamination from urban storm water runoff. Our technical staff has become recognized as a resource for many of the rural municipalities within our region. Workshops, dissemination of technical materials, and hands-on guidance in securing funding for water infrastructure upgrades ensure that all Hill Country communities have access to the tools they need to plan for anticipated growth without sacrificing quality of life or our natural resources. During the coming year, GEAA will be presenting a series of workshops on land use and legal issues and practices pertinent to the Edwards Aquifer to area Planning and Zoning Commissioners.We work with rural landowners, pairing them with expert hydrologists, volunteers and interns to map well locations as the basis of modeling that will enable us to better understand the interface of the Edwards and Trinity aquifer systems. 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 governmental agencies soliciting public comment on programs and policies rela

Activity 3

Education ProgramsOne of the most common misconceptions that the general public holds is that the Edwards Aquifer, like most other aquifers, filters water entering its reservoir through layers of sand and gravel. The Edwards, however, is a karst aquifer. The karst limestone structure of the Edwards Aquifer allows for only minimal filtration of water entering the aquifer, making it vulnerable to contamination from urban runoff "nonpoint source" pollution. To educate the public, GEAA has designed a comprehensive curriculum of accurate, up-to-date scientific information on cave formation and the chemistry, geology, and biology of karst aquifers. Teachers In-Service Programs serve middle school and high school science teachers ofSan Antonios seventeen independent school districts. Free workshops on karst geology and the Edwards Aquifer include demonstrations of lab exercises, presentations by experts in the field of karst geology and a guided tour of a karst recharge cave. Teachers receive Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) appropriate curricula, maps and audiovisual presentations for use in the class room, lab exercises, lectures and hands- on demonstrations about all aspects of karst aquifers, including human impact on the Edwards Aquifer. One hundred eighty teachers each year earn Continuing Education Credit by participating in this program.Our animated DVD/CD ROM "Inner View of the Edwards Aquifer", produced inpartnership with KLRN TV, has been widely distributed to area teachers. The DVD/CD ROM presents lessons for five class sessions accompanied by lab exercises that illustrate the lessons covered in each segment. This package, which covers TEKS requirements for grades fifth through eighth, enhances the teachers' ability to present the material and provides a local perspective to state required texts. "Inner View of the Edwards Aquifer"is available to teachers participating in the workshops; via KLRN TV Educational Video Stream; and on GEAA and school districts' websites.Student Field Trips - GEAA has added a new outdoor education initiative to bring four groups of 30 middle school students, accompanied by their teachers, on a hike at Government Canyon State Natural Area to learn first-hand how the Edwards Aquifer system functions and its importance to sustaining life in this region. A review of science scores on the TAKS exam in San Antonio reveals that students struggle to understand how complex systems function apart from each individual component. This initiative is designed to reinforce the TEKS curriculum on scientific systems taught at the Middle School level. Upon completion of this program, students are able to identify the components of the Edwards Aquifer watershed, including the relationship between groundwater and surface water, the geologic forces that led to the formation of the Aquifer, and the environmental conditions created by the karst network that supports a number of unique species found nowhere else in the world. Additionally, students are able to engage in a serious discussion on how humans interact with this karst environment and the importance of responsible stewardship to conserve this essential resource.In-Classroom DemonstrationsIn partnership with Communities in Schools of San Antonio, GEAA staff teach hundreds of students about the mysteries of our karst groundwater system - the Edwards Aquifer, using our karst aquifer model and hands on lab exercises. GEAA also trains teachers to use our five part film, Inside the Edwards Aquifer, which incorporates lab exercises, vocabulary and resource materials consistent with the requirements of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.Trinity Aquifer Watershed Stewardship Project In partnership with the Cow CreekGroundwater Conservation District, the City of Boerne, Cibolo Nature Center, and the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority, GEAA is producing a series of print, film, and on-line educatio

Filer

EIN

25-1907558