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8-2008 Water Conservation Advisory Council
With
the passage of Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 4 by the
80th Texas Legislature, the Texas Water Development
Board (TWDB) was directed to appoint the members of the
newly created Water Conservation Advisory Council
(Council). The Council was created to provide the
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Legislature, Texas Water Development
Board, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ),
political subdivisions, and the public with the resource
of a select council with expertise in water
conservation. According to the legislation, the Council
is composed of 23 members appointed by the TWDB.
Duties of the water conservation advisory council
include:
- monitoring trends in water conservation
implementation and new technologies for possible
inclusion as best management practices;
- monitoring the effectiveness of the statewide
water conservation public awareness program;
- developing and implementing a state water
management resource library;
- developing and implementing a public recognition
program for water conservation;
- monitoring the implementation of water
conservation strategies by water users included in
regional water plans;
- and monitoring target and goal guidelines for
water conservation to be considered by the TWDB and
TCEQ.
The council broke the duties into workgroups who have
been conducting teleconferences as they prepare their
report for the legislature. Each workgroup presents
their recommendations to the Council for inclusion into
the final report. The workgroups consist not only of
council members, but other interested parties that wish
to participate in the process.
No later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, the
Council is to submit to the Governor, Lieutenant
Governor, and Speaker of the House of Representatives a
report on progress made in water conservation in this
state. One of the first tasks of the Council will be to
conduct a study to evaluate the desirability of
requiring the TWDB to designate certified water
conservation training facilities entities and programs
that provide assistance to retail public utilities in
developing water conservation plans.
The next meeting of the
Water Conservation Advisory Council is scheduled for
Wednesday August 13, 2008 at Wells Branch Community
Center located at 2106 Klattenhoff; Austin, Texas.
The most current information about the Council can be
found at:
http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/assistance/wcac/index.asp
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