New Report Outlines Potential Threats to South Llano River
September 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tyson Broad, Environmental Defense Fund, 325.248.3137 or Laura Marbury, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3430
Media Contact: Laura Williamson, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3447-w or 512.828.1690-c or lwilliamson@edf.org
(AUSTIN, TX – Sept. 11, 2008) Thanks to plentiful springs in Edwards County, the South Llano River flows clean, clear and constantly. But potential threats to the long-term viability of this natural resource highlight the lack of a united local voice in its protection, according to a new report.
The “Land of the Living Waters” report released today by Environmental Defense Fund’s South Llano River Project characterizes the South Llano River water resources, their importance to the local community, and the Central Texas Region as a whole. The report identified several potential threats to the resource, including decreased spring flow due to increased groundwater pumping, lack of sufficient hydrologic data, and fragmentation of large ranches into many smaller “ranchettes” that each manage the resource differently.
“The spring-fed flows of the South Llano River are legendary,” said Tyson Broad, author of the report and a Llano resident. “They support plant and animal communities found no where else, fuel a thriving outdoor tourism industry, and provide critical water supplies to local and down-river communities. Our goal with this report is to highlight potential threats to the river to facilitate discussions on steps the community can take to ensure that the South Llano River remains healthy into the future.”
“In our research, we found that the residents of the South Llano River basin, as well as the community at large, are interested in natural resource issues,” Broad said. “Yet, these same stakeholders lack a cohesive voice in groundwater and surface water management arenas to protect spring flows and associated flows of the river.”
“This report serves as a sound starting point for beginning discussions,” said Laura Marbury, Texas Water Projects Director from Environmental Defense Fund. “The protection of a resource like this is going to take everyone’s participation and it’s important to get everyone on the same page.”
The South Llano River Project will hold a free public workshop on November 15 at Texas Tech University’s Llano River Field Station in Junction, Texas to collaborate and discuss the development of a course of action to protect the South Llano River.
For a copy of the report or more information on the November workshop, please visit www.texaswatermatters.org/southllanoriver.htm.