GBRA And NBU Develop MOU To Cooperate

AUSTIN — Following a hearing on the draft permit issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) for the new Gruene Road Water Reclamation Facility, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA), which initially opposed the permit, withdrew its opposition and filed a notice with the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) and with TCEQ indicating that it supports the TCEQ Executive Director’s draft permit.

GBRA’s withdraw of opposition follows negotiations between GBRA and NBU which led to the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two entities.

The MOU serves as an acknowledgement by GBRA and NBU of certain objectives with respect to design and operation of NBU’s proposed Gruene Road Water Reclamation Facility and maintenance of water quality generally in the Guadalupe River above the Lake Dunlap Dam.

The MOU also contemplates that GBRA and NBU will cooperate in environmental stewardship efforts, such as educational outreach and programming at the Gruene Road Water Reclamation Facility.

Under the MOU, NBU intends to treat its effluent at a higher standard than required by the permit.

“NBU and GBRA share the common goal of protecting water quality in the Guadalupe River as well as maintaining and improving existing uses of the river,” NBU CEO Paula DiFonzo says.

“The MOU establishes a basin-type approach towards water quality. NBU has conducted extensive studies on the segment of the Guadalupe River where the new facility will be located with the help of highly qualified engineers and an aquatic biologist.

These experts have all determined that the water quality will be maintained even when effluent from the plant reaches fully authorized discharge flow rates.

“These comprehensive studies validate the steps that NBU takes to protect water quality as we operate under the rigid standards that have been set by the TCEQ,” DiFonzo says. “Added to this is the fact that we have a team of plant operators who are certified and trained in running treatment facilities.

With the modernization of the plant and added treatment processes, we are very confident in their ability to treat effluent at a higher standard than is even required by the permit.

We are anticipating that the TCEQ Commissioners will be moving forward with approval of the permit as recommended by the TCEQ Executive Director and we should be proceeding with the construction of this very important facility in the near future.”

“This memorandum signals a new level of cooperation and stronger working relationship between GBRA and New Braunfels — one of the largest communities in our district,” GBRA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Patteson said.

“Our joint efforts will allow NBU to move forward serving the needs of its citizens, yet be in keeping with the overall stewardship of the Guadalupe River basin.”

GBRA’s Board of Directors approved the MOU at its meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016. NBU’s board approved the MOU at its board meeting on Sept. 29, 2016.

NBU is one of 2,000 community-owned, not-for-profit, public power electric utilities in the nation. Its mission is improving quality of life for our customers and community through excellence in service.

GBRA was established by the Texas Legislature in 1933 as a water conservation and reclamation district. GBRA provides stewardship for the water resources in its 10-county statutory district, which begins near the headwaters of the Guadalupe and Blanco rivers, ends at San Antonio Bay, and includes Kendall, Comal, Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Gonzales, DeWitt, Victoria, Calhoun, and Refugio counties. GBRA provides services that include hydroelectric generation; water and wastewater treatment; municipal, industrial, and agricultural raw water supply; and recreational operations.