The Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District has developed a proposed plan to minimize the potential impacts of water withdrawals from the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer on the Barton Springs salamander and the Austin blind salamander, both federally protected species. The draft Habitat Conservation Plan submitted to the Service outlines a voluntary conservation program designed to ensure that pumping withdrawals from the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer in Travis and Hays Counties, Texas, will not jeopardize the survival of the Austin blind and Barton Springs salamanders and their habitat.
The Service encourages the public to review and provide comments on the dHCP and dEIS during the 60-day public comment period. Written comments must be received by September 18, 2017.A public meeting will be held during the comment period. The exact location and time for the meeting will be noticed in local newspapers and on the Service’s Austin Ecological Services Office website, https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/AustinTexas/, at least two weeks prior to the event.
Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Submits Draft Plan to Conserve Salamanders and Address Withdrawals from the Edwards Aquifer
