The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), in cooperation with the Edwards Aquifer Authority; San Antonio Water Systems; the City of New Braunfels, Texas; the City of San Marcos, Texas; and Texas State University (collectively, the Applicants), will conduct seven public meetings to obtain comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (dEIS) and an incidental take permit application for the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program (EARIP) that includes a draft Habitat Conservation Plan (dHCP).
The EARIP has applied for an incidental take permit under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The requested incidental take permit (ITP) would be in effect for a period of 15 years, if granted, and authorize incidental take of eight federally listed species. The proposed incidental take would occur within the boundaries of the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) for irrigation, industrial, municipal and domestic and livestock uses and the use of the Comal and San Marcos spring and river systems for recreational and other activities. The dEIS evaluates the impacts of, and alternatives to, possible issuance of an ITP.
The public meetings are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at each location. The dates and locations are:
| August 3, 2012 Dunbar Center 801 West MLK St. San Marcos, Texas 78666 | August 6, 2012 San Antonio Water System Customer Service Building 2800 North Highway 281 San Antonio, Texas 78212 | August 7, 2012 Texas AgriLife Extension and Research Center 1619 Garner Field Rd. Uvalde, Texas 78801 |
| August 8, 2012 New Braunfels Civic Center 375 S. Castell Ave. New Braunfels, Texas 78130 | August 10, 2012 Schreiner University Cailloux Activity Center 2100 Memorial Blvd. Kerrville, Texas 78028 | August 14, 2012 Harte Research Institute Texas A&M Corpus Christ 6300 Ocean Drive Corpus Christi, Texas 78412 |
| University of Houston- Victoria Multi-Purpose Room 3007 N. Ben Wilson Victoria, Texas 77901 |
Public meetings will consist of an Open House/Exhibit Review from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. that will provide an opportunity to view the dHCP, dEIS, and exhibits and to learn more about the proposed action, permit area, and species covered. A presentation of the proposed action and summary of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process will be provided beginning at 6:00 p.m. Citizens are invited to provide written or oral comments in an informal, open-house setting until 8:00 p.m.
