The Recharge Zone Podcast

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!

Brock Curry EAA Deputy General Manager has had a memorable 26-year career at the EAA, from being one of the first employees hired at the agency to seeing the evolution of the EAA as a groundwater conservation district! Hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent sit down with Brock to reminisce on highlights, words of advice, and the lasting impression Brock will leave on the agency.

Research on the recharge zone has continued at the EAA Field Research Park in a big way this season with LiDAR drone surveys conducted by a PhD student from the University of Texas to help identify landform changes over time, EAA Scientists working with graduate students from the University of Texas at San Antonio to describe and log drill cuttings from research boreholes, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) for detecting water in the unsaturated zone of the Edwards Aquifer by characterizing soil and rocks that the water is stored in.

On this episode, hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent are joined by EAA Senior Hydrogeologist Dr. Gizelle Luevano. She’s conducted countless water quality samplings, from wells, rivers, and springs. Hear her field stories and how water quality sampling technology has evolved over the years as she’s collected data from all across the EAA’s jurisdiction!

ET, in this case evapotranspiration, is the elusive process by which water moves from earth’s surface into the atmosphere, and hosts Brent and Ann-Margaret discussed this with EAA’s Principal Geoscientist Marcus Gary. Learn about eddy covariance towers, and how they play an important role in understanding a myriad of observations occurring in the atmosphere and from the soil.

As this region is in the middle of a drought, hosts Brent and Ann-Margaret sit down with EAA General Manager Roland Ruiz to discuss drought management at the EAA. This episode includes a discussion about critical period management, aquifer conditions, and revisit the EAA’s recently implemented strategic plan which focuses on furthering the long-term sustainability of the Edwards Aquifer through a responsible balance of regulatory, education and conservation-focused programming and partnerships.

Learn about the latest happenings at the EAA Field Research Park as hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent interview Thomas Marsalia and Matthew Rogers from the EAA Aquifer Sustainability Team. This episode is all about the implementation of land management techniques to slow and spread the infiltration of water across a landscape, improving soil microbiology, and researching hydrologic conductivity (aka the ability of soil to transmit water) with an instrument called a SATURO.

This episode is part 2 of the previous episode, where hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent interview Melani Howard with the City of San Marcos and Mark Enders with the City of New Braunfels to discuss the successes of the EAHCP as they relate to the threatened and endangered species, the rivers, and springs in their cities.

Hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent sit down with Scott Storment, EAA Executive Director for Threatened and Endangered Species, as he discusses the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan from his perspective as the manager of the program. Tune in to learn about the programmatic aspects of the EAHCP, how it functions, and what’s on the horizon for the future of the program. Part 2 of this episode will air next month where Melani Howard with the City of San Marcos and Mark Enders with the City of New Braunfels discuss the successes of the EAHCP as they relate to the threatened and endangered species, the rivers, and springs in their cities.

Hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent welcome back Sarah Valdez, EAA Senior STEAM Outreach Educator, and welcome Mike De La Garza, EAA Executive Director for Communications and Development, to discuss the highly anticipated EAA Education Outreach Center (EAA EOC). Mike and Sarah walk us through the partnership between the EAA and Morgan’s Wonderland Camp, and all the awe-inspiring interactive exhibits the center will have to offer once it opens its doors to the public on April 14th! To learn more about the EAA EOC, please visit www.eaaeoc.org

The EAA officially began as regulatory agency back in 1996, and the regulatory programs that relate to groundwater production and protection are crucial to the overall mission of the EAA. Tune in to this episode as hosts Brent and Ann-Margaret interview EAA Executive Director for External and Regulatory Affairs, Marc Friberg, about regulation through service, how the agency works with other entities and organizations, and carries out its mission to ensure the quality and quantity of water in the Edwards Aquifer for 2.5 million South Central Texans.

In this episode, hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent welcome back EAA GM Roland Ruiz to recap all the progress the agency made in 2021 and get his perspective on the Next Generation and Beyond strategic plan as he celebrates 10 years of being the General Manager for the EAA. From the highly anticipated grand opening of the EAA Education Outreach Center to all the research taking place at the EAA Field Research Park, and the next chapter for the EAHCP as it celebrates its 10th year ensuring a suitable habitat exists for the covered, threatened and endangered, species in both the San Marcos and Comal Springs.

For our final episode this season, and last one for 2021, we wanted to look at how the Edwards Aquifer conditions are doing this year compared to previous years, in a segment we’re calling the State of the Aquifer with EAA Director of Aquifer Science, Paul Bertetti.