ESBD_511448_1779400737165_ASR Conserve 2025-12.pdf
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- Solicitation number
- 00126TES
- Issued by
- Bexar County, Texas
About this file
This is a Request for Proposals issued by the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA), a political subdivision of the State of Texas located in San Antonio, for Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP) Media, Outreach, and Newsletter Communications services. The procurement encompasses four primary tasks: attending EAHCP committee meetings and EAA Board meetings; developing and publishing six bi-monthly EAHCP electronic newsletters with stories, photos, and audio content; attending stakeholder meetings and assisting with Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) and Voluntary Irrigation Suspension Program Option (VISPO) outreach, including development of six bi-monthly hardcopy EAHCP Conserve Newsletters and promotional materials for up to four regional lunch meetings; and providing videography and miscellaneous media content work with a maximum of four video productions of ten minutes or less each. The RFP was issued on May 4, 2026, with a deadline for questions by May 19, 2026, and proposals due by 3:00 p.m. Central Time on May 27, 2026. Proposals must be submitted electronically via BidNet Direct or physically to Ms. Shelly Hendrix at the EAA offices. The contract will be awarded as a time-and-materials contract not to exceed an agreed-upon total amount, with an option to renew for two additional years.
Selection criteria are weighted as follows: Commercial Quality (60 points), which includes satisfactory response to terms and conditions, experience with similar programs, proposal quality, and customer references; Cost Factors (30 points); and Vendor Location and Schedule (10 points). Offerors must provide three client references for similar newsletter editing and communication services provided within the past five years, and proposals must remain valid for ninety calendar days from the proposal opening date. The EAA strongly encourages minority-owned and women-owned businesses (M/WBEs) to submit proposals and has established a good faith effort goal to award 30 percent of total contract amounts to M/WBEs. Successful offerors must provide proof of insurance coverage including worker's compensation, commercial general liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence, and automobile liability insurance of $500,000 combined single limit. The EAA is exempt from sales tax but may be subject to other taxes, which must be specified by offerors. Selected contractors may be required to submit a Form 1295 disclosure of interested parties if the contract value meets certain thresholds.
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Text version
This newsletter is dedicated to providing Edwards Aquifer permit holders useful information about the EAHCP springflow protection programs.
December 2025
C O N S E R V E
A Little Close for Comfort
“Before we get to the news of the moment about potential Edwards Aquifer recharge shortfalls, it is very important that we say ‘thank you’ to all who have participated in EAHCP Spring Flow Protection Programs to date,” said ASR and VISPO Program Manager Javier Hernandez. “They need to know they have greatly contributed to ensuring the Comal Sprigs and San Marcos Springs have continued to flow during these past few years of severe drought. Those two programs are central to making sure endangered species living in those ecosystems continue to survive especially when dry weather cycles like the current one impact the entire Edwards Aquifer Region. And, as we approach the final few years of our current federal permit which outlines how we protect the Edwards Aquifer during drought, we hope all permit holders will continue to work with us to achieve our conservation goals in the near future.”
The next two years could get very interesting with ASR and VISPO program triggers being carefully monitored depending on the amount of this year’s rainfall has recharged the Edwards Aquifer.
In regard to the ASR forbearance program, it will be very close on whether the 815 acre-feet of recharge number needed to stave off triggering of an ASR forbearance year will be realized. The official recharge amount for 2025 will be announced by the US Geological Survey around the April or May timeframe.
A potential shortfall of 2025 aquifer recharge could trigger drought of record actions.
Continued on the next page.
If the final recharge number announced next spring is less than 815 acre-feet, the 10-year annual recharge average will be less than 500,000 acre-feet, which is the ASR trigger level. That will signify that the region has entered into a drought of record and springflow protection measures will be put into play as defined in the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP). Also, once a drought of record has been declared and the 10-day average reading at the J-17 index well falls below 630 feet mean sea level, that condition will require the suspension of use of certain San Antonio Water System (SAWS) wells.
SAWS will then be authorized to make withdrawals of stored EAHCP water acquired through the ASR program to greatly reduce pumping from the Edwards Aquifer.
“I know all of those numbers make things a little complicated, but they do show just how critical the participation by Edwards Aquifer permit holders can be,” Hernandez reiterated. “If we had not been storing water in the SAWS Aquifer Storage and Recovery facility for the past decade or so, we wouldn’t have that backup water to use in the near future if the drought persists and we have to implement ASR Program forbearance in 2027.”
We were hoping that huge rains over the next few months would erase all of the speculation about program triggers and forbearance years. However, weather predictions do not indicate a high probability for those types of wetter than normal conditions.
“With the current dry patterns expected to persist some, we are asking all permit holders who have excess water available to please take a few minutes to seriously consider working with us on a water lease,” Hernandez noted. “We maintain a tremendous amount of data and information on each water rights holder’s water use each year. With that information, we can walk each permit holder through options including financial benefits on leases between 5 and 15 years, which are the terms we are focusing on now. Currently, we have enough water in the ASR program for 2026. However, we are in need of additional enrollments in VISPO.”
Next year (2026), Hernandez said they will continue to enroll water in the VISPO program for 2-year agreements for years 2027 and 2028 at the same price of $54 per acre-foot for standby and $214 during suspension years. There is a total of 3,961 acre-feet in VISPO agreements that will expire at the end of 2026 and so the EAA staff will be reaching out to those permit holders about continuing with the program for two more years. There will be a small amount of ASR contracts expiring in 2027 and 2028, so the best advice about that situation would be to contact the EAA to learn about the various program options.
You can contact Javier Hernandez at: 210-222-2204, ext.139, or email, jhernandez@edwardsaquifer.org.
Spring Run #3 in New Braunfels in May 2025 was barely flowing.
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