(a) The Colorado and Lavaca Rivers and their associated
tributaries and Matagorda and Lavaca Bays and their associated estuaries
are healthy and sound ecological environments.
(b) For the Colorado and Lavaca Rivers, and their associated
tributaries, the commission finds that these sound ecological environments
can best be maintained by a set of flow standards that implement a
schedule of flow quantities that contain subsistence flow, base flow,
and high flow pulses at defined measurement points. Minimum flow levels
for these components will vary by season and by year since the amount
of precipitation and, therefore, whether a system is in subsistence
or base flow conditions, will vary from year to year and within a
year from season to season, and the number of pulses protected will
also vary with the amount of precipitation.
(c) For Matagorda and Lavaca Bays, the commission finds
that the sound ecological environment of Matagorda and Lavaca Bays
can best be maintained by a set of freshwater inflow standards that
include variable freshwater inflow quantities and that incorporate
inflow and frequency targets at which specific levels of freshwater
inflows occur, which are used for the sole purpose of providing additional
freshwater inflows to Matagorda and Lavaca Bays through voluntary
strategies.
(d) For East Matagorda Bay, the commission does not
adopt environmental flow standards but finds that the sound ecological
environment of East Matagorda Bay can be maintained by avoiding further
reduction of freshwater inflows, to the extent those reductions can
be avoided, and that strategies to provide additional freshwater inflows
to East Matagorda Bay should be pursued.
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