Proposal to add a section: Governing Bodies The first agency charged with management of the Edwards Aquifer was the Edwards Underground Water District, created in 1959. However, its regulatory authority was minimal and the main purpose it served for over 30 years was data collection (Eckhardt; “Regulatory History”). In 1970, the Texas Water Quality Board issued the first environmental regulations affecting the aquifer. These regulations included protections for the aquifer recharge and buffer zones (“Regulatory History”). Senate Bill 1477 was introduced in 1993, which replaced the Edwards Underground Water District with the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) and gave them power to allocate water rights and regulate groundwater withdrawals. However, this bill was determined to violate the Voting Rights Act and was replaced by House Bill 3189 in 1995. HB 3189 specified that the EAA board of directors must be elected rather than appointed. Today, the EAA includes a 17-member board of directors who collaborate with teams of scientists, technicians and educators to manage the Edwards Aquifer (“EAA”).
Sources "EAA." Edwards Aquifer Authority. N.p., 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. Eckhardt, Gregg. “Laws and Regulations Applicable to the Edwards Aquifer.” The Edwards Aquifer Website. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. "Regulatory History of the Edwards Aquifer." The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. N.p., 31 Oct. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. Hayleypc 52 (talk) 01:32, 21 October 2015 (UTC)