The Recharge Zone Podcast

On this episode, hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent catch up with Isabel Martinez, EAA Senior Permit and Conservation Coordinator, as she discusses the importance of agriculture out West and the EAA’s Groundwater Conservation Grant Program.

EAA General Manager Roland Ruiz met with hosts Brent and Ann-Margaret, earlier this month, to discuss aquifer conditions, managing through drought, and the evolution of the agency that has occurred over the past 28 years. 

The vadose zone, also known as the unsaturated zone, is a critical part of the research happening at the EAA Field Research Park (EAA FRP), and Logan Schmidt, EAA Senior Modeler, joins us on this episode to discuss this intriguing piece of the aquifer system.

From defining what the unsaturated zone is to sharing the special techniques used to study this important area, Logan offers insight into how this data could help further the EAA’s understanding of water infiltration through the unsaturated zone and into the Edwards Aquifer System.

Monitoring groundwater quality and quantity has always been an important aspect of the Edwards Aquifer Authority’s (EAA) mission and core value of science-based policy. The addition of the EAA’s Field Research Park (FRP) property in 2019 provided a unique opportunity to closely study the behavior and characteristics of the aquifer system over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. In 2023, the EAA installed a new monitoring well at the FRP, which provides additional insight into the interactions between the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers, the quality of water in the system, and the effects of drought on aquifer water levels. 

This is now the fifth well in the FRP monitoring network, joining the two existing water wells on the FRP property, and two other wells supplied by neighboring partners. Tune into this episode as Marcus Gary, EAA Principal Geoscientist, explains the process of drilling the newest edition to the FRP monitoring well network and how this data helps further aquifer research at the EAA. 

The inaugural Edwards Aquifer Summit was held this past October, and featured informative presentations from EAA General Manager Roland Ruiz, EAA Deputy General Manager Marc Friberg, EAA Executive Director of Aquifer Management Services Mark Hamilton, and EAA Executive Director for Threatened and Endangered Species Scott Storment. Tune in as Brent and Ann-Margaret provide some recaps and highlights from this historic event where city officials and stakeholders, from throughout the EAA’s 8 county jurisdiction, had the opportunity to hear from and ask questions to the EAA leadership team.

The EAA has provided internship opportunities for a wide range of fields, from science to communications, and over the years many students have worked alongside EAA staff to gain enriching experiences that have set the foundation for their careers. Tune in to this episode, where hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent, interview Destiny, Karen, and Sarah about their internship experiences at the EAA, and where they are now. 

For the past 20 years the EAA has taken a proactive approach to making rain clouds more productive by partnering with the Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District (UWCD) to perform cloud seeding operations. This initiative at our agency is known as the Precipitation Enhancement Program. 

The actual cloud seeding is performed by the South Texas Weather Modification Association  (STWMA), which is a non-profit organization committed to enhancing rainfall across the South Texas region. STWMA is one of five permitted weather modification projects for rain enhancement in the state of Texas!

On this episode hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent are joined by Bria Hieatt, State Licensed Program Meteorologist for the STWMA, where she explains the process of cloud seeding and how it's performed over Bandera, Medina, Uvalde counties and the outskirts of Bexar County for the EAA's Precipitation Enhancement Program. 

On this episode of the Recharge Zone Podcast, hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent hit the road to interview Robert Mace in San Marcos, TX aboard a glass bottom boat! Learn about the The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, the threatened and endangered species that live in the Edwards Aquifer, and more.

Robert Mace is the Executive Director and Chief Water Policy Officer at The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment and a Professor of Practice in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at Texas State University. Robert has over 30 years of experience in hydrology, hydrogeology, stakeholder processes, and water policy, mostly in Texas.

On this episode, Ann-Margaret and Brent visit with Darcy Frownfelter, EAA's longtime general counsel. Darcy discusses how the EAA came into existence through the EAA Act as well as some highlights of his career so far. 

The EAA Act created the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) as a groundwater conservation district, which granted the EAA all of the powers, rights, and privileges necessary to manage, conserve, preserve, and protect the Edwards Aquifer.

This season on the Recharge Zone Podcast brought a lot of great guests talking about the Edwards Aquifer and the work of our agency. From our GM Roland Ruiz's discussion on drought management to the last episode where hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent welcomed Brock Curry to discuss his 26 year career at the EAA, and most recently saying farewell to our EAA board of directors' chair Luana Buckner. Listen in as we reflect on some highlights of 2022 and be sure to tune in to our upcoming episodes in 2023!