The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority is embarking on a process in 2020 to create a Guadalupe River Habitat Conservation Plan.
The Guadalupe River is an important resource used by both humans and other species. Humans rely on the river for water supply, recreation and economic generation, while species utilize the river for habitat, food and a nursery. Both user groups depend on the river for its life giving water and both groups should be able to use the river in the future. Therefore the goal of a Guadalupe River HCP is to find the right balance that provides for both collaboratively, rather than one or the other.
The Guadalupe River is home to 18 federally listed endangered species, eight federally listed threatened species, numerous candidate species and potentially newly described species. The overall approach of a Guadalupe River HCP will be holistic and comprehensive, so that all listed and non-listed species would benefit from the conservation measures. Species of focus in the Guadalupe River HCP would include the Whooping Crane, Guadalupe Bass, salamanders (Eurycea sp.)1 and freshwater mussels2.
The projected population growth (195% by 2050) for the Guadalupe River Basin along with increased demand on the River as a resource, necessitates the need to develop a multi-species, basin-wide, habitat conservation plan to address the needs of residents and aquatic, riparian and avian species. Circumstances unique to GBRA and the Guadalupe Basin that play a role in balancing competing interests for the Basin’s resources include:
- Contractually committed surface water rights issued to GBRA and other permit holders;
- groundwater owned and leased by private landowners;
- the magnitude of extreme weather events of drought and flood;
- heavy industrial uses in the lower basin;
- varying ecosystems and climates throughout the basin;
- the IH-35 corridor;
- the Texas Hill Country; and
- demand for environmental flows for riverine and bay species.
The Guadalupe River has been the subject of several past issues and solutions: the original Sierra Club lawsuit over the use of the Edwards Aquifer, the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program, and the Whooping Crane lawsuit. These issues have been resolved creating stability and sustainability, under the Endangered Species Act, to the benefit of humans and the environment. A Guadalupe River HCP is a next logical step in building on these successes.
1. Many of the Eurycea sp. are under review for ESA listing or will soon be under review. Efforts should protect all aquatic salamanders while focusing on those that are listed.
2. The freshwater mussels either are under review for listing or are being newly described. Efforts should protect all freshwater mussels while focusing on those that are listed.