PRESENTER: Presenter
Sarah Richards, Director of Customer Solutions, NBU
Christopher J. Looney, AICP, Planning & Development Services Director, CoNB
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SUBJECT: Title
Approval of an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) between New Braunfels Utilities (NBU), Guadalupe Blanco River Authority (GBRA), and the City of New Braunfels to establish and advance the One Water Program
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DEPARTMENT: NBU and Planning & Development Services
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In August of 2019, a team comprised of staff and leadership from New Braunfels Utilities (NBU), the City of New Braunfels (City), and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA), began collaborating with a group of industry experts to identify an approach to maintain and preserve local and regional water resources for the benefit of current and future generations (the “One Water Working Group” (OWWG)). The One Water approach, as defined by the Water Research Foundation (WRF), is an integrated planning and implementation approach to managing finite water resources for long-term resilience and reliability meeting both community and ecosystem needs. The OWWG established the following vision statement for the local effort:
To ensure water remains a celebrated and protected feature of the New Braunfels community by collaboratively managing water resources to safeguard watersheds, waterways, and groundwater.
The OWWG also created the New Braunfels One Water Roadmap (Roadmap), a high-level plan to achieve the identified vision; and the New Braunfels One Water Report, a document providing recommendations to agency leadership on steps to implement the Roadmap. The collective work was brought to the NBU Board in June of 2021, to the GBRA Board in November of 2022, and to City Council in January of this year for feedback and to determine a path forward for a collaborative One Water Program. Following the direction provided by these three governing bodies, an Interlocal Agreement between the three agencies has been drafted to support continued partnership on this One Water Program.
ISSUE:
The NBU Board approved this ILA on June 29 and the GBRA Board approved it on July 19. The OWWG requests that City Council also approve the Interlocal Agreement with the City and GBRA for the One Water Program.
FISCAL IMPACT:
City contribution of $50,000 annually to support the program. NBU is also contributing $50,000, while GBRA’s fair share contribution is $10,000 annually.
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends authorizing the City Manager or his designee to Negotiate and Execute an Interlocal Agreement with New Braunfels Utilities and Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority for the One Water Program.