| (a) RWPs shall consolidate and present information
on current and planned preparations for, and responses to, drought
conditions in the region including, but not limited to, Drought of
Record conditions based on the following subsections.
(b) RWPGs shall conduct an assessment of current preparations
for drought within the RWPA. This may include information from local
Drought Contingency Plans. The assessment shall include:
(1) A description of how water suppliers in the RWPA
identify and respond to the onset of drought; and
(2) Identification of unnecessary or counterproductive
variations in drought response strategies among water suppliers that
may confuse the public or impede drought response efforts. At a minimum,
RWPGs shall review and summarize drought response efforts for neighboring
communities including the differences in the implementation of outdoor
watering restrictions.
(c) RWPGs shall identify drought response triggers
and actions regarding the management of existing groundwater and surface
water sources in the RWPA designated in accordance with §357.32
of this title (relating to Water Supply Analysis), including:
(1) Factors specific to each source of water supply
to be considered in determining whether to initiate a drought response
for each water source including specific recommended drought response
triggers;
(2) Actions to be taken as part of the drought response
by the manager of each water source and the entities relying on each
source, including the number of drought stages; and
(3) Triggers and actions developed in paragraphs (1)
and (2) of this subsection may consider existing triggers and actions
associated with existing Drought Contingency Plans.
(d) RWPGs shall collect information on existing major
water infrastructure facilities that may be used for interconnections
in event of an emergency shortage of water. At a minimum, the RWP
shall include a general description of the methodology used to collect
the information, the number of existing and potential emergency interconnects
in the RWPA, and a list of which entities are connected to each other.
In accordance with Texas Water Code §16.053(r), certain information
regarding water infrastructure facilities is excepted from the Public
Information Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 552. Any excepted
information collected shall be submitted separately to the EA in accordance
with guidance to be provided by EA.
(e) RWPGs may provide general descriptions of local
Drought Contingency Plans that involve making emergency connections
between water systems or WWP systems that do not include locations
or descriptions of facilities that are disallowed under subsection
(d) of this section.
(f) RWPGs may designate recommended and alternative
Drought Management Water Management Strategies and other recommended
drought measures in the RWP including:
(1) List and description of the recommended Drought
Management Water Management Strategies and associated WUGs and WWPs,
if any, that are recommended by the RWPG. Information to include associated
triggers to initiate each of the recommended Drought Management WMSs;
(2) List and description of alternative Drought Management
WMSs and associated WUGs and WWPs, if any, that are included in the
plan. Information to include associated triggers to initiate each
of the alternative Drought Management WMSs;
(3) List of all potentially feasible Drought Management
WMSs that were considered or evaluated by the RWPG but not recommended;
and
(4) List and summary of any other recommended Drought
Management Measures, if any, that are included in the RWP, including
associated triggers if applicable.
(g) The RWPGs shall evaluate potential emergency responses
to local drought conditions or loss of existing water supplies; the
evaluation shall include identification of potential alternative water
sources that may be considered for temporary emergency use by WUGs
and WWPs in the event that the Existing Water Supply sources become
temporarily unavailable to the WUGs and WWPs due to unforeseeable
hydrologic conditions such as emergency water right curtailment, unanticipated
loss of reservoir conservation storage, or other localized drought
impacts. RWPGs shall evaluate, at a minimum, municipal WUGs that:
(1) have existing populations less than 7,500;
(2) rely on a sole source for its water supply regardless
of whether the water is provided by a WWP; and
(3) all County-Other WUGs.
(h) RWPGs shall consider any relevant recommendations
from the Drought Preparedness Council.
(i) RWPGs may make drought preparation and response
recommendations regarding:
(1) Development of, content contained within, and implementation
of local Drought Contingency Plans required by the Commission;
(2) Current drought management preparations in the
RWPA including:
(A) drought response triggers; and
(B) responses to drought conditions;
(3) The Drought Preparedness Council and the State
Drought Preparedness Plan; and
(4) Any other general recommendations regarding drought
management in the region or state.
(j) The RWPGs shall develop region-specific model Drought
Contingency Plans.
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| Source Note: The provisions of this §357.42 adopted to be effective August 12, 2012, 37 TexReg 5797; amended to be effective December 8, 2016, 41 TexReg 9589; amended to be effective June 28, 2020, 45 TexReg 4211; amended to be effective May 1, 2022, 47 TexReg 2527 |
