American Ground Water Trust * 50 Pleasant Street * Concord, NH 03301 - - PDF document

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American Ground Water Trust * 50 Pleasant Street * Concord, NH 03301 PH: 603-228-5444 Email: trustinfo@agwt.org Texas Aquifer Conference - June 9, 2016 - Austin, TX Professional background of presenters

• Dr. Robert E. Mace Deputy Executive Administrator, Water Science and Conservation
• Dr. Robert Mace leads a department of 70 scientists, engineers, and specialists dedicated to better

understanding groundwater and surface water resources; advancing water conservation and innovative water technologies such as desalination, aquifer storage and recovery, reuse, and rainwater harvesting; and better preparing Texas for floods. Prior to joining the TWDB in 1999, Mace worked for almost nine years at the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin as a hydrologist and research scientist. He has a bachelor's degree in geophysics and a master's degree in hydrology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and a Ph.D. in hydrogeology from The University of Texas at Austin. Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Executive Director, TX Alliance of Groundwater Districts, Austin, TX Sarah joined TAGD as the Executive Director in 2015. She previously worked at the Bandera County River Authority & Groundwater District, where she was the Intergovernmental Relations Coordinator. There, she was responsible for the research and development of management strategies in Texas' regional water planning, participated in local and regional groundwater planning efforts, and served as a liaison to other government agencies, stakeholder groups and elected officials. Sarah has experience with international non-profits with interest in water policy, and recently spent a year in peri- urban Haiti participating in the launch of an entrepreneurial alternative water infrastructure. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College in Political Geography and a Master of Science in Water Science, Policy and Management from Oxford University. Stefan Schuster, Water Resources Director, SWCA Environmental Consultants, Austin, TX Stefan Schuster joined SWCA Environmental Consultants as the Texas-Gulf Coast Water Resources

• Director. He will lead the water resource program for the company’s Texas and the Gulf Coast region
• perations, including offices in Arlington, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas; Baton Rouge,

Louisiana; and Tulsa, Oklahoma to expand their capabilities and capitalize on extensive project

• pportunities.
• Mr. Schuster has more than 25 years of experience in the Texas water resources market, including

project management positions at the TWDB and the predecessor of TCEQ as well as several leading private industry firms. David Pyne, President, ASR Systems, Gainesville, FL David Pyne, PE, is recognized as the pioneer and leader of ASR technology, having developed this technology in Florida, elsewhere in the United States, and overseas during the past 35 years. He pioneered development of the ASR technology for storage of water through wells in fresh, brackish, or seawater aquifers to meet seasonal, long-term, or emergency demands and to achieve sustainable water supplies through underground storage in confined and unconfined aquifers.

• Mr. Pyne coined the term “Aquifer Storage Recovery” in1982 and is the sole author of the only book

published on ASR, Aquifer Storage Recovery: A Guide to Groundwater Recharge Through Wells (ASR Press, 2005). John Cyrier, TX State Representative, House District 17, Lockhart, TX John Cyrier serves as the State Representative for HD 17, which includes Bastrop, Caldwell, Gonzales, Karnes and Lee Counties. After receiving a degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology, John embarked on a career in commercial general contracting. He founded Sabre Commercial, Inc. in 2008 and under his leadership Sabre has been consistently ranked in the top-10

• f the Austin Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” and “Fast 50” list of the fastest growing

companies in Central Texas. He was nominated for the journal’s Best CEO award in 2014 John was appointed and then elected as Caldwell County Commissioner in 2010 and County Judge Pro-Tem until 2013. During his tenure, he focused his efforts on transportation, subdivision rules and regulations, and economic development.

2 Fred M. Blumberg, Project Manager, ARCADIS-US Inc., Austin, TX

• Mr. Blumberg leads his firm’s efforts to expand and develop water supplies for clients throughout Texas.

Prior to joining Malcolm Pirnie/ARCADIS in 2007, Mr. Blumberg was deputy general manager and chief

• perating officer with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA). During his career with GBRA, he

led the operations, engineering and construction management departments. For the last 8 years, he has been involved in a variety of water resources projects related to ASR, water supply planning, dam investigations and watershed master planning. Mr. Blumberg has both B.S. and Master of Agriculture degrees from Texas A&M University. Matt Webb, ASR Specialist/Geophysical Well Log Analyst, TWDB, Austin, TX Matt is the ASR expert point of contact in the TWDB’s Innovative Water Technology group. His primary role is to collect, evaluate, and disseminate data from available data sources in support of the advancement of ASR activities in the state. He also performs technical review and assessment of ASR proposals requesting funding from TWDB with a focus on the determination of feasibility and application

• f best practices. Additionally, Matt has the role of collecting and interpreting information from

geophysical well logs and other data sources in support of the Brackish Resources Aquifers Characterization System (BRACS) initiative. Matt has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Water Management from Texas A&M University. Doug Draeger, Executive Director of Operations, New Braunfels Utilities, New Braunfels, TX Douglas Draeger joined the NBU Team as the Executive Director of Operations, on April 6, 2015. As Executive Director of Operations, Draeger is responsible for NBU’s Electric and Water Operations and Engineering Divisions, Water Plant & Wastewater Treatment, as well as the new division of Field Support Management. Draeger is an experienced professional with over 18 years of leadership in the utility industry, including municipal utilities. He previously served as the Assistant General Manager of Engineering & Operations for Alameda Municipal Power in California. Draeger has been involved in development of a Capital Infrastructure Program, AMI deployment, asset management, Smart Grid integration, GIS, SCADA, predictive maintenance, and development and leadership of a Change Management initiative. He has worked extensively in personnel management and development improving communications and inter-departmental cooperation. Brock Curry, Deputy General Manager, Edwards Aquifer Authority, San Antonio, TX Brock Curry joined the Edwards Aquifer Authority in October 1996, and was promoted to Deputy General Manager in

• 2012. Working closely with the General Manager, Brock oversees all aspects of EAA operations. Brock also serves as a

liaison to the EAA Board of Directors to ensure staff is appropriately implementing the organization’s policies. Prior to joining the EAA, Brock was the General Fund Budget Manager for the City of Austin, Texas for over five years. Brock holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southwestern University and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Texas-LBJ School of Public Affairs. Lynn Short, Director of Public Works, City of Victoria, Victoria, TX Lynn Short is the Public Works Director for the City of Victoria. He has been employed by the City of Victoria for 24 years. He has a BAAS degree from the University of Houston-Victoria in Business Management and an AAS degree from the Texas State Technical Institute in Environmental

• Engineering. He has a Double A water and wastewater operator license from the TCEQ.

Tim Andruss, GM, Victoria Co Groundwater Conservation District, Victoria, TX

• Mr. Andruss serves as the General Manager for Victoria County, Texana, Refugio, and the Calhoun

County Groundwater Conservation Districts. In addition to his role at the districts, Mr. Andruss serves as a Vice Chair of the South Central Texas Regional Water Planning Group (Region L), Chairman and Administrator for Groundwater Management Area 15, and representative on the South Central Texas Water Advisory Committee (SCTWAC). Prior to working in groundwater conservation, Mr. Andruss worked for the City of College Station, City of Irving, and City of Fort Worth with a focus on implementing geographic information systems (GIS) and infrastructure management systems for water utilities.

3 Van Kelley, Sr, Vice President, Intera, Austin, TX Van Kelley’s professional experience has focused on developing and applying groundwater flow and transport models to evaluate water resource management strategies and waste-management issues. In the area of water resources management, he has applied models to determine regional groundwater availability over long-term planning periods, evaluate and predict future groundwater quality, and assess the impacts of various management strategies on local and regional surface water and groundwater resources.. He has managed and executed over 40 major groundwater modeling projects with budgets ranging from $10,000 to $5 million. Van also has experience in conducting hydrogeologic investigation programs, including the design, implementation, and analysis of tracer tests and deep- borehole hydraulic testing campaigns. John Ewing, Sr Water Resrouces Engineer, Intera, Austin, TX John Ewing’s experience has focused on the development, calibration, and application of numerical models of single- and multi-phase fluid flow and transport in the subsurface. He uses models to address a variety of water resource management, radioactive waste isolation, and environmental investigation and remediation issues. Working for federal and state agencies responsible for the management, preservation, and protection of water resources, his experience includes developing regional-scale groundwater availability models (GAMs) of aquifers to support long-term planning and aquifer

• management. He has also used more local-scale models to help locate and design water supply wells

and evaluate the impacts of groundwater pumping in the context of major water development and delivery projects. John E. Meyer, P.G., Geologist, Conservation and Innovative Water Technologies, TWDB, Austin, TX John is a certified Professional Geoscientist in Texas and received BS and MS degrees in geology from the University of Wyoming in Laramie. John has over 28 years of professional experience including the Geological Survey of Wyoming industrial mineral program; the Research Planning Institute Texas regional stratigraphic analysis; the Railroad Commission of Texas Surface Mining Division coal and uranium permits; the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality groundwater nonpoint source and Public Drinking Water source water assessment. John currently works at the Texas Water Development Board, Innovative Water Technologies, focusing on Texas brackish groundwater resources. Dave Smith, Principal Scientist, CDM Smith, Boca Raton, FL David has 33 years experience of hydrogeological investigations in a wide variety of geological settings for both water resource and environmental projects in the US and internationally. He specializes in the feasibility, design, permitting, and construction of alternative water supply projects and since the early 1990’s, has completed numerous large diameter brackish groundwater supply systems and Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) wells. He also is actively engaged in the design, permitting, construction, testing, and operation of high capacity, deep, Class I, and Class V Injection well systems used for the recharge or disposal of treated wastewater, reverse osmosis concentrate, brines, and other non-hazardous industrial wastes for municipal, industrial, and mining clients throughout the US. David works with Florida and Texas clients to solve challenging water supply, quality, and protection issues. Edmond McCarthy Jr., Partner, Jackson, Sjoberg, McCarthy & Townsend, L.L.P., Austin, TX Ed McCarthy’s law practice is primarily in water and natural resources. Mr. McCarthy’s background is rooted in property rights and land titles, and the development of subsurface property rights, including mineral and groundwater rights. Mr. McCarthy was lead counsel on the first ASR project permitted in Texas to use state water rights, and subsequently worked on the development of legislation to codify the use of ASR as a water development resource. He also participated on an ad hoc committee to assist the predecessor agency to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to develop rules for ASR permitting and operations. He earned his J.D. in 1981 from St. Mary’s University School of Law, and his B.A., from the University of Notre Dame in 1978.

4 Russell Johnson, Partner, McGinnis Lochridge, Austin, TX Russell Johnson has a multifaceted water law practice, with an emphasis on matters involving land use, water rights and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). His clients are generally landowners, industries, mineral owners and developers seeking to acquire, safeguard, develop or convey water resources. Because Russ holds a B.A. in biology and chemistry, in addition to his law degree, he fully understands the technical and scientific complexities his clients face and can help them work more effectively towards achieving their goals. He is a Board Member of the Center for Water Law and Policy at Texas Tech University School of Law, as well as an adjunct professor at Texas State University teaching water policy. Mike Gershon, Principal, Lloyd Gosselink, Austin, TX Mike represents water utilities, groundwater conservation districts, municipalities, landowners, and various business interests. He advises and represents clients concerning water resource development, management and transactions, water rights, water quality, endangered species, service area disputes, rates, litigation, and board governance. Mike also provides strategic counsel concerning groundwater resource management and development, and negotiates and drafts wholesale and retail water supply agreements and groundwater leases and transfers. Prior to law school, Mike worked as a litigation consultant and financial analyst. During law school, he served as a law clerk at the Environmental Protection Agency (Region VI), the Natural Resources Division of the Office of the Attorney General, and the Lower Colorado River Authority. Bill Dugat, III, Attorney, Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta, LLP, Austin, TX Bill practices in the areas of water and environmental law, public law and administrative law. He represents and advises municipalities, river authorities and water districts before state and federal agencies with an emphasis on water and environmental issues. He focuses his practice on client counseling and administrative hearings for industrial, commercial and governmental clients in matters involving ground water, water and sewer rates, water quality permitting, industrial and municipal solid waste, hazardous waste cleanup and disposal, air quality permitting, open meetings and open records, and contracting. Drew Miller, Partner Kemp Smith Law, Austin, TX Drew Miller is a partner in the firm's Austin office where he practices environmental, water and general regulatory law, and serves as Chairman of the firm's Public and Environmental Law

• Department. He regularly represents industrial and commercial entities, political subdivisions, and

individuals including landowners in litigation, compliance, enforcement, permitting, and due diligence

• matters. He has particular experience in litigation involving groundwater management, contaminated

property and environmental permitting. He has also guided clients through Texas' Brownfields redevelopment programs. Mr. Miller received his BS from Cornell University, and his JD from George Washington University School of Law. Doug Caroom, Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acossta LLP, Austin, TX Doug practices in the areas of water and environmental law, administrative law, and public law. He assists municipalities, river authorities, and water districts in all phases of regulation, including use and development of surface water rights and groundwater regulation, and water utility service and

• regulation. Doug also represents governmental, industrial, commercial and private clients in litigation

matters and administrative proceedings involving the Endangered Species Act, Environmental Impact Statements, water quality permitting and enforcement, industrial and municipal solid waste, hazardous waste disposal and cleanup, and air quality.