Challenge. Develop a water accounting plan to obtain regulatory approval for diverting water at an additional location along the Brazos River.
Solution. The Gulf Coast Water Authority (GCWA) holds three certificates of adjudication (CoA) that authorize water diversions at specific locations along the Brazos River. Changing these diversion locations, or adding a new location, requires amending the existing CoAs. To meet GCWA’s need to divert water from an additional location along the river, INTERA developed a water accounting plan to support amending one of the Authority’s CoAs. The accounting plan, which must be approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) as part of the CoA amendment process, describes how GCWA will allocate Brazos River diversions to its various CoAs. Allocations must be clearly made based on the intended use of the water (municipal, industrial, agricultural, or mining), by location, and by the priority date authorized under each CoA. INTERA developed the accounting plan in Microsoft Excel to facilitate review by both TCEQ regulators and interested parties for compliance with Texas law, including WAC §297.58(b). INTERA has provided support throughout the review process and in preparation for a contested case hearing.
