Texas Water Alliance and GBRA execute letter of intent

Officials with the Texas Water Alliance Limited (TWA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SJW Corp. based in San Jose, California, and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) executed a letter of intent to evaluate TWA’s proposed development of groundwater resources in Gonzales County for possible use in GBRA’s service area in the future.

The LOI is effective through Aug. 1, 2011, and commits the parties to collaborate exclusively on groundwater development and delivery options to service demand areas. TWA’s groundwater resources may total up to 15,000 acre-feet of water that may be used in the Canyon Lake Water Service Company (CLWSC) service area as well as serving other water systems in the region. GBRA officials have been working to supply potential customers along the IH-35 and Texas 130 corridors.

“This agreement gives both GBRA and TWA an opportunity to further evaluate the firm yield of this groundwater source and to consider the most cost-effective methods for delivering the water to potential customers,” Bill West, Jr., GBRA general manager said.

“Texas Water Alliance Limited has a permit application pending before the Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District, and in anticipation possible permit approval, we want to have all the components in place to successfully develop the water resources and supply the growing population in this region,” said TWA representative Mark Janay.

The 2010 Census data and other projections indicate significant population growth along the IH-35 and Texas 130 corridors within the Guadalupe River Basin, which includes some of the state’s fastest growing communities. The City of New Braunfels had reached a population of 57,740, up from 36,494 in 2000. San Marcos’ population increased from 34,733 in 2000 to almost 45,000 in 2010. Guadalupe and Comal counties’ populations bumped up 47.8 percent and 39 percent respectively. In Hays County, which also lies within the Guadalupe River Basin, the City of Kyle’s population increased 427 percent to 28,016 residents, while Buda’s population rose 203 percent to nearly 7,300 residents.

The TWA project as well as the GBRA project, are included in the Region L Water Plan for supplying water in this region as does GBRA. Working together, West explained, we will be able to satisfy these growing demands and foster economic growth in the region.

TWA is a wholly owned subsidiary of SJW Corp., whose purpose is to undertake activities necessary for the development of a regional water supply project in Central Texas.

The GBRA was established by the Texas Legislature in 1933 as a water conservation and reclamation district. GBRA provides stewardship for the water resources in its 10-county statutory district, which begins near the headwaters of the Guadalupe and Blanco rivers, ends at San Antonio Bay, and includes Kendall, Comal, Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Gonzales, DeWitt, Victoria, Calhoun, and Refugio counties.