LCRA likely to change drought relief request, GM says

December 21, 2012, 9:00 pm by James Walker

The Lower Colorado River Authority is likely to modify its request for a controversial emergency drought order to better preserve the water supply in the Highland Lakes, LCRA General Manager Becky Motal wrote in a letter Thursday to the head of the regulatory commission currently studying the order.

With rainfall in the Highland Lakes watershed continuing to be negligible and inflows into the lakes remaining extremely low, the LCRA staff intends to seek further direction from board members at a Jan. 8 meeting, Motal wrote in a letter to Texas Commissioner on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) executive director Zac Covar Thursday.

"At that meeting, staff anticipates that the Board may direct staff to seek modifications to its request for emergency relief that is more protective of the firm water supply than the pending applications,” Motal wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Highland Lakes Newspapers Friday.

Motal asked that TCEQ delay taking action  "until staff receives further input from the Board on possible modifications to the request,” in the letter to Covar, who will ultimately make a recommendation to the regulatory body’s three commissioners regarding the drought relief request.

For the complete story, see Tuesday’s Highlander and Thursday’s Burnet Bulletin and Llano County Journal.