Brazos River minnows added to list; could impact Lubbock water plan

Lubbock officials say designation will not impact Lubbock's reservoir

BY: NICOLE C. BRAMBILA LUBBOCK-AVALANCHE JOURNAL AUGUST 4, 2014

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service added the sharpnose shiner and the minnows to the “endangered” species list Monday. Tom Fulton, general manager for the Municipal Water District in Spur, said he’s not sure what all the implications will be, but he’s sure of one thing: The designation is going to be costly. “Any time you have to deal with something like this it’s going to be more money,” Fulton said. “Once something’s endangered, we’ll have to make accommodations.” The White River Municipal Water District serves communities of Spur, Crosbyton, Post and Ralls. An endangered listing accompanies a critical-habitat listing of the minnows’ dwelling grounds, which include 623 miles of the upper basin and the upland area extending beyond the river channel in Crosby, Garza and more than a half-dozen other counties. The Endangered Species Act defines and designates a species as endangered if it is at risk of extinction. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock and a member of the Endangered Species Act Congressional Working Group, said he was concerned about what he called a “Washington- knows-best approach to the listing process” that will impact Texas’ water supplies. “We need to put Texas back in charge of these conservation efforts, not bureaucrats in Washington,” Neugebauer said in an email. Lubbock’s only reservoir, Lake Alan Henry, is in Garza County, but the city’s surface water supply is not located within the critical habitat area. Officials, however, did say Monday that potential surface-water supply strategies outlined in the city’s 2013 strategic water supply plan could be impacted. Aubrey Spear, director of Lubbock’s water utilities, did not return a phone call seeking comment. The two shiner species have been candidates for the list since 2002. Once found throughout the Brazos River, the minnows are now limited to segments of the Upper Brazos River Basin in north-central Texas. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife estimate the smalleye’s population has been cut in half and the sharpnose reduced by 70 percent from historical ranges. “The Service is committed to continuing to work with the local communities, landowners and water management districts to conserve the shiners and the Brazos River,” Michelle Shaughnessy, assistant regional director for ecological services in the agency’s southwest region, said in a news release. “A healthy Brazos River benefits not only the species, but also helps to ensure the continued vitality and way of life for the communities that are dependent upon it.” The final rule will become effective on Sept. 3.

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