June 28, 2000 Board Meeting

Final Longhorn Motion 6/28/00

WHEREAS the Longhorn Partners Pipeline crosses directly across the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer, and the owners of the pipeline propose to pump 9.4 million gallons per day of refined petroleum products, including gasoline, through the jurisdiction of this District;

WHEREAS the District is charged with important responsibilities for preserving the critical water resources provided by the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer, including the viability and quality of both public and private drinking water wells drawing from the Aquifer;

WHEREAS contamination of the Aquifer due to a leak or a spill from the pipeline, should it ever begin operations, would be a catastrophe for the Aquifer;

WHEREAS the pipeline's operation poses a direct threat to Aquifer, including the many public and private drinking water wells drawing from it within the jurisdiction of the District;

WHEREAS the draft Environmental Assessment for the pipeline issued on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation had serious shortcomings, especially in its consideration of the pipeline’s threat to water supplies drawing from the Aquifer and in its consideration of alternative routes for the pipeline;

WHEREAS the District resolved unanimously on January 12, 2000, that a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) should be undertaken for the Longhorn Partners Pipeline project before it begins operation;

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE DIRECTORS OF THE BARTON SPRINGS/EDWARDS AQUIFER CONSERVATION DISTRICT:

The Directors of the District request the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation to:
(1) require the owners of the Longhorn pipeline to re-route the pipeline around the critical water supply provided by the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer, as well as around the southern segment of the Edwards Aquifer, as a necessary prerequisite to a finding of no significant impact in the Environmental Assessment process now underway; and
(2) otherwise, require a full EIS for the Longhorn project, including a full and complete evaluation of alternative routes and options, including the “no action” alternative, of the pipeline’s impact on the State of Texas’s wellhead protection program under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, and of the other threats posed by the pipeline to full compliance with the objectives of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
 
 
 

Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District

January 12, 2000 Board Meeting

Final Longhorn Motion 1/12/00

Based on a review of the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Longhorn Pipeline and comments of our expert team, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District believes that the finding of "no significant impact" is not warranted. We therefore urge that a full environmental impact statement (EIS) be undertaken for the Longhorn Pipeline project. We understand and appreciate that the mitigation measures included in the draft EA would result in a better safer pipeline than if it were to begin operation without mitigation. But we are not convinced those measures are sufficient to protect the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer. If the existing pipeline is issued an operating permit, supplemental mitigation measures must be required in addition to those already outlined in the draft EA, in order to reduce the risk of significant harm to the aquifer.

Therefore, the Board of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District adopts and authorizes its attorneys to file this resolution and the accompanying Expert’s Comments on Draft Environmental Assessment, including those revisions to and additions to the Comments that were discussed.
 
 
 
 

Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District

December 9, 1999 Board Meeting

Final Longhorn Motion 12-9-1999

The Board of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is not convinced that the operation of the pipeline as currently proposed in the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) ensures an acceptable risk to the human and natural environment over and near the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer. The Board recognizes that mitigation measures offered by Longhorn Partners represent a reduced risk as outlined by the current EA. We do not believe that such measures are as yet sufficient. Obviously, the safest solution for the aquifer would be if the pipeline were not to be routed over this area. The Board however, does not take a position on rerouting of the pipeline. If the existing pipeline is issued an operating permit, the following supplemental mitigation measures, at a minimum, should be required in a collaborative effort between Longhorn Partners and the BS/EACD, in addition to those already outlined in the EA, in order to reduce the risk of significant harm to the Aquifer:

• Use seamless pipe.
• Extend the new pipe beyond the edges of the Recharge Zone for some distance.
• Require Longhorn to purchase a safety zone around the pipeline so that they can control the land uses and limit access; thereby, eliminating or significantly reducing the potential of third party impacts.
• Address the private well issues. Identify the number of people that will be impacted.
• Provide an alternative drinking water supply to all those dependent on groundwater.
• Install additional cut-off valves along the stretch over the Recharge Zone.
• Install additional pump stations to reduce the operating pressure inside the pipe.
• Require a significant enforcement process in the mitigation program.
• Install additional groundwater monitor wells along the pipeline.

• Install hydrocarbon sensors all along the pipeline.
• Require Longhorn Partners to provide financial surety to ensure that the contingency plan for alternative water supplies can be carried out even if Longhorn Partners fails financially.