Consistently with its management plan and the Points of Consensus unanimously adopted on October 17, 2000, The Board of Directors of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District ("the District") adopts the following additional principles for the conservation and management of the groundwater resources within the District and the administration of District Rules and programs:
1. The Barton Springs segment of
the Edwards Aquifer ('the Aquifer") provides the primary or sole source
of drinking water for about 45,000 people living in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays,
and Travis Counties, as well as water for agriculture, industry, commerce, recreation,
and wildlife. While it is a finite resource, the Aquifer should continue to
play a role in meeting the water needs of the area. The District will defend
the Aquifer against actions or conditions that might imperil its continued use
as a drinking water supply.
2. Recent scientific studies have confirmed that the Aquifer is susceptible
to depletion due to drought or overpumping. The District does not support mining
of the Aquifer. The District will establish the methodology to be used to determine
the carrying capacity and sustainable yield of the Aquifer and will implement
management strategies to conserve groundwater in order to meet human and environmental
water needs.
3. The Aquifer has long been recognized
as the Texas drinking water aquifer that is the most vulnerable to contamination.
The health of the Aquifer depends on the quality, as well as the quantity of
the water that recharges it. While the District has no authority over the subdivision
or use of land, the District will take action within its authority and work
cooperatively with other governments to prevent contamination of the Aquifer.