TExas GRoundwater Summit ARchives
- 2023 Presentations
- 2022 Presentations
- 2021 Presentations
- 2020 Presentations
- 2019 Presentations
- 2018 Presentations
- 2017 Presentations
Thank you for attending the 2023 Texas Groundwater Summit, held on August 29-31, 2023.
View the full program here.
Recordings of all presentations are available here on our YouTube channel.
To view the presentation slides, click on the title of the presentation. If the session is not linked below, it did not utilize slides.
Tuesday, August 30
Welcome Address
Leah Martinsson, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
TexMesonet: a Statewide Earth Observation Data Collection Network
Nathan Leber, TexMesonet Manager, Texas Water Development Board
Managing Groundwater in Drought (panel discussion)
Moderator: John Dupnik, Deputy Executive Administrator, Texas Water Development Board
Kody Bessent, Chief Executive Officer, Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
Charlie Flatten, General Manager, Hays Trinity GCD
Amy Hardberger, Director, Texas Tech Center for Water Law and Policy
Advances in Irrigation Management
Brent Auvermann, Center Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Amarillo
Keynote Address
David Yoskowitz, Ph.D., Executive Director, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Lessons from Arizona
(Click here to view the groundwater movie mentioned in the presentation)
Sarah Porter, Director, Arizona State University – Kyl Center for Water Policy
Correlative Rights or Correlative Wrongs? (panel discussion)
Moderator: Robert Mace, Executive Director, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
James Beach, Principal, Advanced Groundwater Solutions, LLC
Britney Britten, General Manager, Panhandle GCD
Kelley Cochran, General Manager, Guadalupe County GCD
Kristen Fancher, Attorney, Fancher Legal, PLLC
Day 2 – Wednesday, August 30
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Amber Blount, President, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Beneath the Surface of Regional Water Planning
Jason Afinowicz, Principal and Vice President, Freese and Nichols
Legislative Debrief (panel discussion)
Moderator: Leah Martinsson, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Sarah Kirkle, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, Texas Water Conservation Association
Bryan McMath, Government Relations Director, Texas Water Development Board
Hope Wells, Water Resources Counsel, San Antonio Water System
Keynote Address
Glenn Hegar, Texas Comptroller
Legislator Perspectives (panel discussion)
Moderator: Leah Martinsson, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Senator Pete Flores, District 24, Texas Senate
Representative Tracy King, District 80, Chairman of House Natural Resources Committee
Senator Charles Perry, District 28, Chairman of Senate Agriculture, Water, & Rural Affairs Committee
Breakout Track A – Groundwater Fundamentals for GCD Board & Staff Members
Modeling – the What, Why, and How
Jevon Harding, Groundwater Modeler, Texas Water Development Board
Understanding Well Spacing and Production Limits
Amy Bush, Hydrologist, RMBJ Geo
Conflict Rules and Avoidance
Barbara Boulware-Wells, Principal/Partner, The Knight Law Firm, LLP
Breakout Track B – Aquifer Science
Simulating Potential Alluvial Aquifer Impacts from Conversion of an Open-Pit Mine to a Water Supply Reservoir
Sorab Panday, Principal Engineer, GSI Environmental Inc.
Impacts of Groundwater Pumping for Hydraulic Fracturing on other Sector Wells in Aquifers Overlying the Eagle Ford Shale
Peter Knappett, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University
Clearwater Groundwater Management Model
Philip Webster, Hydrologist, RW Harden & Associates
Breakout Track C – Thinking Outside the Box
Quickstart Guide to Groundwater Availability Certifications
Alyson McDonald, Senior Hydrologist, Collier Consulting
An Introduction to Weather Modification in Texas
Jonathan Jennings, Project Meteorologist, West Texas Weather Modification Association
Transboundary Aquifers: The Complete Map and Binational Implications
Rosario Sanchez, Senior Research Scientist, Texas A&M University
Breakout Track A (repeated) – Groundwater Fundamentals for GCD Board & Staff Members
Breakout Track B – Data, Data, and More Data
Predictive and Adaptive Groundwater Management Strategies
Kelly Close, Client Technology Officer, LRE Water
Investing in Water Level Data
Chuck Dunning, VP Hydrology, Wellntel
Aquifer Characterization using Texture2Par (slides coming soon)
Vivek Bedekar, Senior Scientist, S.S. Papadopulos and Associates, Inc.
Breakout Track C – Hot Topics in Groundwater Protection
Eliminating Orphan Wells & Pollution Sites in Texas
Virginia Palacios, Executive Director, Commission Shift
Anticipating and Preparing for PFAS Regulation
Daniel Haddock, Director of Water Utility Services, INTERA
Geothermal Development and Considerations for Groundwater
Ken Wisian, Associate Director, Bureau of Economic Geology
Day 3 – Thursday, August 31
Making DFCs Matter (panel discussion)
Moderator: Stacey Steinbach, Executive Director, Texas Water Conservation Association
Billy Howe, Associate Director of Government Affairs, Texas Farm Bureau
Bill Hutchison, Independent Groundwater Consultant
Vanessa Puig-Williams, Texas Water Program Director, Environmental Defense Fund
Gary Westbrook, General Manager, Post Oak Savannah GCD
Carbon Capture & Sequestration: What Does Water Have to Do With It?
Ramón Treviño, Program Manager, Bureau of Economic Geology
“All of the Above”: An ASR, MAR, and Reuse Future (panel discussion)
Moderator: Neil Deeds, Principal Water Resources Engineer, INTERA
Scott Reinert, Water Resources Manager, City of El Paso
Kristi Shaw, Senior Professional Associate, HDR
David Smith, ASR Discipline Leader, CDM Smith
Steven Walden, Principal, Steven Walden Consulting
Keynote Address
L’Oreal Stepney, P.E., Board Member, Texas Water Development Board
Current Legal Issues (panel discussion)
Madison Huerta, Associate, Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C.
Emily Rogers, Managing Partner, Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta
Shauna Fitzsimmons Sledge, Attorney/Partner, SledgeLaw Group
Thank you for attending the 2022 Texas Groundwater Summit, held on August 30-September 1, 2022.
View the full program here.
Recordings of all presentations are available here on our YouTube channel.
To view the presentation slides, click on the title of the presentation. If the session is not linked below, it did not utilize slides.
Tuesday, August 30
Welcome Address
Leah Martinsson, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Panel – The “S” Word: Sustainability in Groundwater
Moderator: Vanessa Puig-Williams, Texas Water Program Director, Environmental Defense Fund
Robert Mace, Executive Director, Meadows Center for Water & the Environment
Wade Oliver, Texas Water Resources Lead, INTERA Inc.
Mitchell Sodek, General Manager, Central Texas GCD
Deborah Trejo, Partner, Kemp Smith Law
Managing for the Future: El Paso Water
Scott Reinert, Water Resources Manager, El Paso Water Utilities
Keynote Address
Jeff Walker, Executive Administrator, Texas Water Development Board
Update on Produced Water Consortium
Rusty Smith, Executive Director, Texas Produced Water Consortium
OpenET and Possibilities in Texas
Garshaw Amidi-Abraham, Senior Outreach Specialist, OpenET
Panel – Water Data: People and Purpose
Moderator: Sam Marie Hermitte, Assistant Deputy Executive Administrator, Texas Water Development Board
Amy Bush, Hydrologist, RMBJ Geo
Ashley Greuter, Program Manager, Harris-Galveston Subsidence District
Joe Yelderman, Professor and Geosciences Department Chair, Baylor University
Wednesday, August 31
Welcome Address
Amber Blount, President, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
What’s the Deal With WOTUS?
Julie Nahrgang, Executive Director, Water Environment Association of Texas
Legislative Interim Update
Brian Sledge, Managing Partner, SledgeLaw Group
Panel – Groundwater Management When Everyone Wants a Piece of Texas
Moderator: Natalie Ballew, Groundwater Division Director, Texas Water Development Board
Scott Brooks, Director, Clearwater UWCD
Bill Dugat, Partner, Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP
Mike Keester, Principal, RW Harden & Associates
Lon Shell, Commissioner, Hays County
Micah Voulgaris, General Manager, Cow Creek GCD
Legislator Panel
Moderator: Leah Martinsson, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Senator Sarah Eckhardt, District 14, Texas Senate
Representative Kyle Kacal, District 12, Texas House of Representatives
Representative Tracy King, District 80, Chairman of House Natural Resources Committee
Senator Charles Perry, District 28, Chairman of Senate Agriculture, Water, & Rural Affairs Committee
Keynote Address
Garry Merritt, Chief Executive Officer, Great Springs Project
Groundwater Data 101
Heather Dodson, Groundwater Data Team Lead, Texas Water Development Board
Best Practices for Effective Board Meetings
Natasha Martin, Shareholder, Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody
Monitoring and Tracking DFC Compliance
James Beach, Principal, Advanced Groundwater Solutions
Approaches to Evaluating Socioeconomic Impacts
Quinn McColly, Conservation Finance Director, Texas Water Trade
When There is No GCD: Setting DFCs
Velma Danielson, Senior Project Manager, Blanton & Associates
Groundwater Use Estimation and Footprinting
Rohit Goswami, Principal Engineer, RRG Professional Engineering
The GULF 2023 Model: Modeling Advances and Preliminary Results
John Ellis, Supervisory Hydrologist, United States Geological Survey
Model-data Fusion of Hydrologic Simulations and Satellite Observations to Estimate Changes in Water Table Depth
Dimitrios Stampoulis, Lead Scientist, Southwest Research Institute
Nuts and Bolts of Management Plans
Robert Bradley, GMA Liaison/Senior Geoscientist, Texas Water Development Board
Working with Landowners Effectively
Alyssa Balzen, Geoscientist, Edwards Aquifer Authority
Inspiring, Engaging, and Supporting Youth Water Leaders
David Smith, 4-H2O Program Coordinator, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Future of ASR in Texas: TWDB ASR Supporting Studies
Azzah AlKurdi, Engineering Specialist, Texas Water Development Board
Managed Aquifer Recharge Using Stormwater: Lessons from the Harris County Pilot Study
Gretchen Miller, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University
Impacts of Regenerative Ag on Water Storage and Soil Health
Katie Lewis, Associate Professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape
Daniel Oppenheimer, Land Program Director, Hill Country Alliance
Land for Water: Texas Land Conservancy Easements
Mark Steinbach, Executive Director, Texas Land Conservancy
Texas Playa Conservation Initiative
Rachel Fern, Wetland Program Leader, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Thursday, September 1
10 Years of EAA v. Day
Gregory Ellis, Attorney, GM Ellis Law Firm
Russell Johnson, Partner, McGinnis Lochridge
Panel – Issues in Water Quality
Moderator: Diana Thomas, General Manager, Sterling County UWCD
Vince Clause, Hydrogeologist, Allan R. Standen LLC
Marc Friberg, Executive Director of External & Regulatory Affairs, Edwards Aquifer Authority
Janet Guthrie, General Manager, Hemphill County UWCD
The New GCD Index
Julia Stanford, Programs & Operations Manager, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Keynote Address
Emily Lindley, Commissioner, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Panel – Navigating the Journey To and Through a Contested Case Hearing
Moderator: Mike Gershon, Principal, Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend
Bill Hutchison, Independent Groundwater Consultant
Stacey Reese, Attorney, Stacey Reese Law
Blayne Stansberry, President, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District
Jim Totten, General Manager, Lost Pines GCD
Thank you for attending the 10th Annual Texas Groundwater Summit, held on August 31-September 2, 2021.
View the 2021 Texas Groundwater Summit agenda here.
Full recordings of all presentations are available here on our YouTube channel.
To view the presentation slides, click on the title of the presentation. If the session is not linked below, it did not utilize slides.
Tuesday, August 31
Advances in Texas Water Data
Richard Wade, Deputy Executive Administrator of Texas Natural Resource Information System, Texas Water Development Board
The Future is Now – Enforcing DFCs Panel
Moderator: John Dupnik, Deputy Executive Administrator of Water Science and Conservation, Texas Water Development Board
Dirk Aaron, General Manager, Clearwater UWCD
James Beach, Principal Hydrogeologist, Advanced Groundwater Solutions
Kristen Fancher, Attorney, Fancher Legal
Rural Land Trends and What They Mean for Groundwater
Roel Lopez, Director, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
Robert Mace, Executive Director, Meadows Center for Water & the Environment
Overruling the Rule of Capture: Lessons from 10 Other States
Gabriel Collins, Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at Baker Institute, Rice University
Ownership in Place and the Future of Groundwater Litigation
Amy Hardberger, Director, Texas Tech University Center for Water Law & Policy
Wednesday, September 1
Investing in Groundwater’s Future Panel
Moderator: Sarah Schlessinger, Chief Executive Officer, Texas Water Foundation
Meredith Allen, General Manager, Sutton County UWCD
Vanessa Escobar, General Manager, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District
Steve Walthour, General Manager, North Plains GCD
Legislative Debrief Panel
Moderator: Leah Martinsson, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Trent Hightower, Assistant General Counsel, Texas Rural Water Association
Sarah Kirkle, Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs, Texas Water Conservation Association
CJ Tredway, Consultant, Texas Oil & Gas Association
Keynote Address: Don’t Mess with Texas – Water Edition
Brooke Paup, Chairwoman, Texas Water Development Board
Considerations of the American Recovery Plan Act and Texas Water
Carlos Rubinstein, Principal, RSAH2O LLC
The Nuts and Bolts of Chapter 36
Greg Ellis, Attorney, GM Ellis Law Firm
[Click here to view a bookmarked file of Chapter 36 from Greg Ellis]
Technical Tools in the GCD Toolbox
Amy Bush, Hydrologist, RMBJ Geo
Mapping and Modeling Faults in the Middle Trinity Aquifer
Michelle Sutherland, Groundwater Resource Engineer, Michelle Sutherland LLC
Groundwater Data Analysis and Visualization – Understanding and Communicating the Status of Your Aquifers
Micaela Pedrazas, Hydrogeologist, LRE Water
GCD and County Tools for Addressing Growth
Zach Holland, General Manager, Bluebonnet GCD
District Dilemma: Mandates, Monitoring, and Finding Funding to Pay for It All
Trey Gerfers, Board President, Presidio County UWCD
Groundwater Well Assistance Program: A Public Benefits Tool
Bobby Bazan, Water Resource Specialist, Post Oak Savannah GCD
Analytical Tools for the Regional Evaluation of Surface Water-Groundwater Interactions
Bill Hutchison, Independent Groundwater Consultant
Development of a Geochemical Framework to Characterize Complex Aquifer Recharge-Discharge Relations
Rebecca Nunu, Scientist, Southwest Research Institute
Brazos River Streamflow Depletion Due to Alluvial Well Pumping
Jordan Furnans, Vice President-Texas Operations, LRE Water
Thursday, September 2
More With Less: What Agriculture Can Do to Save Water
Dana Porter, Agricultural Engineering Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
The Future of Produced Water and the Texas Produced Water Consortium
Venki Uddameri, Professor & Director of Water Resources Center, Texas Tech University
After Twin Oaks: Last 5 Years of Aquifer Storage and Recovery Projects Panel
Moderator: Neil Deeds, Vice President-Southern Region, INTERA
Charles Schoening, Principal-in-Charge, Arcadis
Shauna Fitzsimmons Sledge, Partner, SledgeLaw Group
Brian Smith, Principal Hydrogeologist, Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District
Keynote Address
Senator Charles Perry, District 28, Chairman of Senate Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs Committee
Legal Issues Panel
Kimberly Grinnan Kelley, Associate, Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta
Natasha Martin, Shareholder, Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody
Monique Norman, Attorney, Monique Norman Attorney at Law
Cole Ruiz, Associate, Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend
Thank you for attending the 9th Annual Texas Groundwater Summit, held September 1-3, 2020, as an interactive webinar event. We appreciate all of our sponsors!
View the 2020 Texas Groundwater Summit agenda here.
To view the presentation slides, click on the title of the presentation. View sessions on our Youtube channel here.
Tuesday, September 1
Groundwater Sustainability & Stewardship
Trey Mixon, Natural Resources Manager, Nestle Waters North America
Innovative GCD Management Strategies Panel
Moderator: Drew Satterwhite, General Manager, North Texas GCD/Red River GCD
Troupe Brewer, Principal, Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend PC
Ty Edwards, General Manager, Middle Pecos GCD
Mike Keester, Project Manager/Hydrogeologist, LRE Water
Produced Water as Water Supply Panel
Moderator: Adam Friedman, Partner, McElroy Sullivan Miller & Weber LLP
Brian Bohm, Environmental Sustainability Advisor, Apache Corporation
Bridget Scanlon, Senior Research Scientist, Bureau of Economic Geology
Trey Gerfers, Board Chairman, Presidio County UWCD
Keynote Address
Brooke Paup, Director, Texas Water Development Board
GAMs, the Next Generation Panel
Moderator: Wade Oliver, Senior Hydrogeologist, INTERA
Natalie Ballew, Groundwater Technical Assistance Manager, Texas Water Development Board
Andy Donnelly, Senior Hydrogeologist, Daniel B. Stephens & Associates
John Ellis, Supervisory Hydrologist, United States Geological Survey
Wednesday, September 2
Sarah Kirkle, Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs, Texas Water Conservation Association
Transparency Under COVID and Related Issues
Jennifer Smith, Attorney, SledgeLaw Group
William Gamblin, Groundwater Resources Supervising Engineer, WSP
Underground Disposal Wells and Water Quality Considerations for GCDs
Matthew Uliana, Principal Hydrogeologist, INTERA
Advances in Agricultural Conservation & the North Plains Water Conservation Center
Nicholas Kenny, Agricultural Engineer, North Plains GCD
A Path Forward for Sustainable Crop Production on the Texas High Plains
Ronnie Hopper, Director, High Plains Water District
Diversifying the Water Portfolio for Agriculture in the Rio Grande Basin
Allen Berthold, Senior Research Scientist, Texas Water Resources Institute
The Why and How of Water Communications
Janet Rummel, Public Relations & Communications Officer, NTMWD
Building Effective Education Programs
Melissa Mullins, Environmental Education Specialist, Baylor University
From the GCD Perspective: BGPZ Rules under HB 722
Mary Sahs, Principal, Mary K. Sahs PC
Jason Coleman, General Manager, High Plains Water District
TWDB Update on Brackish Groundwater Production Zones
Erika Mancha, Manager of Innovative Water Technologies, Texas Water Development Board
Thursday, September 3
The Past, Present, and Future of Comanche Springs
Robert Mace, Executive Director, Meadows Center for Water & the Environment
Lessons Learned: Accountability and the Petition for Review Process Panel
Moderator: Bill Dugat, Partner, Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP
Tom Koeneke, Board Vice President, Starr County GCD
Kelly Mills, Water Availability Division Assistant Director, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Lynn Smith, General Manager, Mesquite GCD
Keynote Address
Dr. Larry Schooler, Senior Fellow, National Civic League
Moderator: Greg Ellis, Attorney, GM Ellis Law Firm PC
Stacey Reese, Attorney, Stacey Reese Law PLLC
Deborah Trejo, Partner, Kemp Smith Law
Agenda
View the 2019 Texas Groundwater Summit agenda here.
2019 Summit Presentations
To view the 2019 presentation slides, click on the title or an individual speaker’s name to view a PDF of the summit slides. View sessions on our Youtube channel here.
Day 1 – Tuesday, August 20
Welcome Address
Leah Martinsson, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
County Commissioners & Judges Panel
Moderator: The Honorable Jan Roe, Former Robertson County Judge and Current Board President, Brazos Valley GCD
Tim Brown, Former Bell County Commissioner
Will Conley, Former Hays County Commissioner
The Honorable Joe Shuster, Pecos County Judge
Glen Low, Founder, The Earth Genome
Finding Meaning in the Numbers: Groundwater Data Panel
Moderator: Glen Low, Founder, The Earth Genome
Erin Atkinson, Vice President, GIS / Technology Practice Leader, HalffAssociates, Inc.
Robert Mace, Interim Executive Director & Chief Water Policy Officer, Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
Suzanne Pierce, Research Scientist, Dynamic Decision Support Systems, Data Management & Collections Group, Texas Advanced Computing Center
Mike Turco, General Manager, Harris-Galveston Subsidence District
Water Valuation & Water Markets Panel
Moderator: Carlos Rubinstein, Principal, RSAH2O
Gabe Collins, Baker Botts Fellow in Energy & Environmental Regulatory AffairsBaker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University
Sharlene Leurig, Chief Executive Officer, Texas Water Trade
Harry Seely, Principal, WestWaterResearch
Kathleen Jackson, Director, Texas Water Development Board
Day 2 – Wednesday, August 21
Welcome Address
Dirk Aaron, President, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Adapting to a Changing Landscape: Stakeholders Panel
Moderator: Jason Coleman, General Manager, High Plains Water District
Maurice Hall, Associate VP, Ecosystems – Water, Environmental Defense Fund
Allison Strube, Water Utilities Director, City of San Angelo
Ben Weinheimer, Vice President, Texas Cattle Feeders Association
Karen Work, Water Management Supervisor, ConocoPhillips
Moderator: Leah Martinsson, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Ty Embrey, Partner, Lloyd Gosselink Attorneys at Law
Greg Ellis, Attorney, GM Ellis Law Firm, PC
Brian Sledge, Managing Partner, SledgeLaw Group, PLLC
Keynote Address
John Sharp, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System
Legislator Panel
Moderator: Leah Martinsson, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Representative Tracy King, District 80, Texas House of Representatives
Representative Lyle Larson, District 122, Texas House of Representatives
Representative Poncho Nevárez, District 74, Texas House of Representatives
Senator Charles Perry, District 28, Texas State Senate
Track 1: Stretching the Resource: Innovative Projects
Prospects for Managed Aquifer Recharge from Stormwater for Harris County and Beyond
Gretchen Miller, Associate Professor, Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M University
Creative Solutions to Meeting the City of Wolfforth’s Water Demands
Darrel Newsom, City Manager, City of Wolfforth
Calculating Recoverability in ASR Projects
Steven Young, PHD, PE, PG, CGWP, Principal Geoscientist, INTERA
Track 2: Data: Sometimes You Got It, Sometimes You Don’t
Jason Ramage, Hydrologist, Texas Water Science Center, US Geological Survey
Estimating Use from Exempt Wells
Natalie Ballew, Manager, Groundwater Technical Assistance, TWDB
Quantifying Potential Changes in Recharge from Changes in Weather Patterns
Nick Martin, Principal Scientist, Southwest Research Institute
Track 3: Workshop: Board & Staff Training
Mike Keester, Project Manager and Hydrogeologist, LRE Water, LLC
Chapter 36 Essentials
F. Keith Good, Shareholder, Lemon Law Firm
Steve Kosub, Senior Water Resources Counsel, San Antonio Water System
Greg Wukasch, External Relations Manager, San Antonio Water System
Track 1: Conserve, Preserve, & Protect: Groundwater Contamination
Reporting Groundwater Contamination. Who’s on first?
Cary Betz, Manager, Permit Support, Compliance, and Groundwater Section, TCEQ
Regulatory Framework Groundwater Contamination from Coal Ash Deposits
Kimberly Mireles, Vice President of Environmental Services, Luminant
Risk Assessment of Oil and Gas Activities on Groundwater Resources
Ron Green, Ph.D., P.G., Institute Scientist, Earth Science Section, Space Science and Engineering Division, Southwest Research Institute
Track 2: Drilling Down: Water Wells
Tracing the Source of Groundwater Through Well Profiling
Noah Heller, President, BESST Inc.
Innovation Software for Permit, Inspections and Production Reporting
Paul Wickman, Director of Applied Technology, RESPEC
A Lower Trinity PWS Case Study
William Gamblin, Associate Principal, Environmental/Water Resources Manager, Braun Intertec
Day 3 – Thursday, August 22
Brackish Groundwater Panel
Moderator: Zach Holland, General Manager, Bluebonnet GCD
Neil Blandford, Senior Vice President and Principal Hydrogeologist, Daniel B. Stephens and Associates
John Meyer, Technical Lead Brackish Resource Aquifer Characterization System, TWDB
Steve Walden, Principal, Steve Walden Consulting
Hope Wells, Water Resources Council, San Antonio Water Systems
Where Do You Draw the Line? Surface Water/Groundwater Interaction
Moderator: John Dupnik, Deputy Executive Administrator, Water Science & Conservation, TWDB
James Beach, Senior Supervising Hydrogeologist and Area Manager, WSP
James Kowis, Principal Owner, James Kowis Consulting
Dave Mauk, General Manager, Bandera County River Authority & Groundwater District
Joe Yelderman, PhD, Professor, Department of Geosciences, Baylor University
Moderator: Mike Gershon, Partner, Lloyd Gosselink Attorneys at Law
Natasha Martin, Attorney, Graves Dougherty Hearon and Moody
Edmond McCarthy, Partner, McCarthy & McCarthy, LLP
Drew Miller, Partner, Kemp Smith
2018 Summit Presentations
To view the 2017 presentation slides, click on the speakers’ name or the panel title to view a PDF of the Summit slides. Video of perentations will be available on TAGD’s YouTube channel here.
Day 1 – Tuesday, August 28
Welcome Address
Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Aquifer Boundaries
Moderator: Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Gabriel Eckstein, Director, Program in Natural Resources Systems and Director, International Water Law Project, Texas A&M University School of Law
Robert Mace, Associate Director and Chief Water Policy Officer, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
Stacey Steinbach, Assistant General Manager, Texas Water Conservation Association
Groundwater Availability
Moderator: Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Executive Director, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Van Kelley, PG, Sr. Vice President; Principal Hydrogeologist, INTERA
Darrell Peckham, Principal, Peckham P.G., LLC
Justin C. Thompson, Doctoral Student, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin
Keynote Address
Senator Charles Perry, District 28, Texas State Senate
Optimizing the Edwards Aquifer: the next 20 years and beyond
Roland Ruiz, General Manager, Edwards Aquifer Authority
Marc Friberg, Executive Director of External & Regulatory Affairs,
Mark Hamilton, Executive Director of Aquifer Management Services
Groundwater Management in Denmark
Jacob Vind, Counsel General and Head of the Danish Water Technology Alliance in the US, Royal Danish Consulate General
Day 2 – Wednesday, August 29
Opening Remarks
Dirk Aaron, President, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Groundwater Management Toolbox
Moderator: Dirk Aaron, General Manager, Clearwater UWCD
Vanessa Escobar, Senior Regulatory Compliance Coordinator, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer CD
Greg Sengelmann, General Manager, Gonzales County UWCD
Gary Westbrook, General Manager, Post Oak Savannah GCD
Moderator: Michael A. Gershon, Principal, Lloyd Gosselink Attorneys at Law
Greg Ellis, Attorney, GM Ellis Law Firm, PC
Stacey Reese, Attorney, Stacey Reese Law PLLC
Celina Romero, Partner, Duggins Wren Mann & Romero, LLP
Representative Lyle Larson, District 122, Texas House of Representatives
Groundwater Transactions
Moderator: Kodi Sawin, Principal, Sawin Group
Kristen Fancher, Attorney, Fancher Legal, PLLC
Jason Hill, Attorney, JT Hill & Co.
John Tracy, Ph.D, Director, Texas Water Resources Institute
Kantave Green, Texas Water Development Board
Workshop: Board & Staff Training
Steve Kosub, Senior Water Resources Counsel, San Antonio Water System
Personnel and Employment Policies for GCDs
Jennifer Smith, Attorney, SledgeLaw Group PLLC
FAQs on the Public Information Act & Open Meetings Act
Kimberly Grinnan Kelley, Attorney, Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP
Groundwater Data & Technology
Sam Hermitte, Assistant Deputy Executive Administrator, Water Science & Conservation, TWDB
Erin Atkinson, Vice President, Halff Associates
Enabling Your Groundwater Data through Dynamic Web Applications & Visualization Tools
Daniel Pearson, Data and Spatial Studies Chief, US Geological Survey
Know Your Aquifer
Wade Oliver, PG, Senior Hydrogeologist, INTERA
Using Remote-Sensed Data to Improve Recharge Estimates
Ron Green, Ph.D., P.G., Institute Scientist, Earth Science Section, Space Science and Engineering Division, SwRI
Single District Groundwater Quality Studies
Paul Kirby, Project Geologist, Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.
All the Wells & Whistles
Adam Foster, Hydrologist, WWD/PI Program, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
Raymond Straub, President, Straub Corporation
Water Well Drillers FAQs
Bobby Bazan, Water Resource Specialist, Post Oak Savannah GCD
Pete Brien, Owner, Brien Water Wells
Emerging Groundwater Management Trends
Managed Recharge – Beyond the ASR Well
Stephanie Moore, Senior Hydrologist, Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.
Aquifer Subsidence Vulnerability
Mike Keester, Project Manager and Hydrogeologist, LRE Water, LLC
How and Why GCDs Might Support the Oil and Gas Wastewater Recycling Efforts
Adam Friedman, Associate, McElroy, Sullivan, Miller & Weber, LLP
Day 3 – Thursday, August 30
Conservation & Stewardship in Texas Groundwater
Moderator: Vanessa Puig-Williams, Puig-Willaims Law, PLLC
Grant Ellis, Natural Resources Manager, Parks and Recreation Department, City of San Antonio
Blair Fitzsimmons, Chief Executive Officer, Texas Agricultural Land Trust
Roel R. Lopez, Ph.D., Director, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
Lori Olson, Executive Director, Texas Land Trust Council
Legislator Panel
Senator José Rodríguez, District 29, Texas Senate
Representative Paul Workman, District 47, Texas House of Representatives
GCD Innovation & Inspiration: Stories from the field
Moderator: Ronnie Hopper, Board Member, High Plains Water District
North Plains Master Irrigator Program
Kirk Welch, Assistant General Manager-Outreach, North Plains GCD
Horizontal: An Innovative Supply Well
Jason Coleman, Manager, High Plains Water District
Visualizing Your Aquifer using Geophysical Characterizations at Multiple Scales
Scott Ikard, Hydrologist, Texas Water Science Center, US Geological Survey
Layne Marlow, Field Technician, South Plains GCD
Mitchell Sodek, General Manager, Central Texas GCD
Andrew Teeple, Hydrologist and Geophysics and Subsurface Analysis Unit Team Lead, Texas Water Science Center, US Geological Survey
To view the 2017 presentation slides, click on the speakers’ name or the panel title to view a PDF of the Summit slides. If there is a presentation missing that you’d like added or if there is a problem with the file, please email groundwater@iemshows.com. View sessions on our Youtube channel here.
Day 1 – Tuesday, August 29
Welcome Address & Opening Remarks
Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Executive Director, TAGD
100 Year Anniversary of the 1917 Conservation Amendment
Moderator: Ken Kramer, Water Resources Chair and Legislative Advisor, Sierra Club – Lone Star Chapter
Carole Baker, President/CEO, Texas Water Foundation
Karen Guz, Conservation Director, San Antonio Water System
Carlos Rubinstein, Principal, RSAH2O, LLC
Andy Sansom, Executive Director, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
Thales Smith, University of Texas School of Law
The Value of Groundwater: Market Valuation & Assessment
Peter Lake, Director, Texas Water Development Board
Amy Hardberger, Esq., Associate Dean, St. Mary’s University School of Law
Charles R. Porter Jr., Ph.D., College of Education, St. Edward’s University
David W. Yoskowitz, Ph.D., Associate Director & HRI Endowed Chair for Socio-Economics, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Groundwater Users – Correlative Rights, Existing Use, & Curtailments
Moderator: Alan Day, General Manager, Brazos Valley GCD
Charles Bowers, Ag Producer and Board Member, Panhandle GCD
David Coleman, Director of Water Services, City of College Station
Ronald Gertson, Board Member, Texas Rice Producers Legislative Group
Lara Zent, Executive Director and General Counsel, Texas Rural Water Association
Planning Ahead: Current Groundwater Projects for Tomorrow’s Needs
Moderator: Bobby Bazan, Water Resources Management Specialist, Post Oak Savannah GCD
David Collinsworth, Regional Manager, Brazos River Authority
Dana Porter, Program Leader and Associate Dept. Head, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services
Tom Ray, Water Resources Programs Manager, Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, Inc.
John Seifert, Project Manager, LBG-Guyton Associates
Day 2 – Wednesday, August 30
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Joe B Cooper, President, TAGD
Keynote Address
Senator Charles Perry, District 28, Texas State Senate
Similar Rules: a Discussion with Groundwater Management Areas
Moderator: Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Executive Director, TAGD
Ronald Fieseler, General Manager, Blanco-Pedernales GCD
Dave Mauk, General Manager, Bandera County RA & GD
Jim Totten, General Manager, Lost Pines GCD
Gary Westbrook, General Manager, Post Oak Savannah GCD
Keynote Address
Honorable Nathan L. Hecht, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
Legislative Debrief
Moderator: Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Executive Director, TAGD
Greg Ellis, Attorney, GM Ellis Law Firm PC
Ty Embrey, Attorney, Lloyd Gosselink Attorneys at Law
Monique Norman, Attorney
Brian Sledge, Attorney, SledgeLaw PLLC
Hope Wells, Corporate Counsel, San Antonio Water System
Luncheon Keynote Address
Dr. Leyon Greene, Hydrologist and Meteorologist, TexMesonet, TWDB
Breakout 1, Track 1: Groundwater Research and Science
Moderator: C.E. Williams, General Manager, Panhandle GCD
Water Level Monitoring Networks and Analysis of Data for Assessing DFCs
Jevon Harding, P.G., Hydrogeologist, INTERA
Use of Coupled Surface Water/Groundwater Models in Managing Water Resources
Ronald Green, Ph.D., P.G., Institute Scientist, Southwest Research Institute
Influence of Urban Pumping on Groundwater Quality
Peter Knappett, Assistant Professor, Department of Geology & Geophysics, Texas A&M University
Breakout 1, Track 2: Getting Deep: Water Wells
Moderator: Steve Walthour, General Manager, North Plains GCD
Look Before You Drill
Doug Laymon, Geophysical Services Manager, Collier Consulting, Inc.
Protecting Your Groundwater Assets
Dan Haddock, Principal Engineer, INTERA
Educating the Well Owner
Drew Gholson, Water Resources Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Breakout 2, Track 1: GCD Board Member Training
Moderator: Zach Holland, General Manager, Bluebonnet GCD
The Intricacies of Chapter 36
Shauna Fitzsimmons, Attorney, SledgeLaw PLLC
Russ Johnson, Attorney, McGinnis Lochridge
Application of Oil & Gas Principles to Groundwater Law
Bill Dugat, Attorney, Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta
Board Member Responsibility & Liability
Drew Miller, Attorney, Kemp Smith LLP
Breakout 2, Track 2: Groundwater Databases & Data Collection
Bobby Bazan, Water Resources Management Specialist, Post Oak Savannah GCD
How Technology Can Help GCDs Fulfill Their Missions
Michael Keester, P.G., Project Manager and Hydrogeologist, LRE Water, LLC
Dave Colvin, P.G., Project Manager, LRE Water, LLC
Using Your Data Efficiently and Effectively
Suzanne Pierce, Research Scientist, Texas Advanced Computing Center, UT Austin
Day 3 – Thursday, August 31
Welcome Address & Introductions
Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Executive Director, TAGD
The Impact of DFC Monitoring & Implementation on Planning
James Beach, Senior Vice President, LBG-Guyton Associates
DFC Tracking Panel
Moderator: James Beach, Senior Vice President, LBG-Guyton Associates
Dirk Aaron, General Manager, Clearwater UWCD
Greg Sengelmann, General Manager, Gonzales County UWCD
Steve Walthour, General Manager, North Plains GCD
Case Law Update
Moderator: Susana Canseco, Attorney, Branscomb PC
Troupe Brewer, Attorney, Lloyd Gosselink Attorneys at Law
Kristen Fancher, Attorney, Fancher Legal, PLLC
Vanessa Puig Williams, Attorney, Puig Williams Law
Emily Rogers, Attorney, Bickerstaff Health Delgado Acosta LLP
Advanced Groundwater Technology Panel
Moderator: Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Executive Director, TAGD
Texas A&M ASR Initiative
Dr. Gretchen Miller, Water Management and Hydrological Science Program Faculty, Texas A&M University
Brackish Desal – Beyond the Bad Water Line
Stephen Hoff, GIS Analyst, Bexar County Information Technology
3-D Modeling, Visualization, and Management
Gabe Collins, Baker Botts Fellow in Energy & Environmental Regulatory Affairs, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University
Bill Mullican, Principal, Mullican & Associates
Michelle Sutherland, Independent Researcher, Michelle A. Sutherland LLC
Nathan Toll, Senior Research Scientist, Southwest Research Institute
Michael Turco, General Manager/CEO, Harris-Galveston Subsidence District