The Recharge Zone Podcast

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...

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 th...

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...

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...

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 entiti...

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 Re...

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.

Learn about some myths and impressive facts about the Edwards Aquifer as hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent discuss what is fact or fiction when it comes to information they've heard over the years while working at the EAA.

What is GIS and how is it used at the EAA? On this episode, hosts Brent and Ann-Margaret discuss the realm of Geographic Information Systems, aka GIS, with Taylor Bruecher, EAA Hydrologic Coordinator. Find out how we display data for the public so they can view it, identify patterns to answer questions, and pose more questions based on their understanding.

Why is collecting environmental data about the Edwards Aquifer important and how is it stored? On this episode Bryan Anderson, EAA Data Management Director, discusses with hosts Brent and Ann-Margaret the continuous data collected by the EAA Data Management Department. This department oversees 151 active monitoring sites where they collect data, process that data, and disseminate it to the public....

On this episode hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent interview Sarah Valdez, EAA STEAM Outreach Educator, about the EAA Education Outreach Center located at Morgan's Wonderland Camp. Tune in as she discusses the one of a kind exhibits that will go in the 3,500 square foot space, which will feature unique learning experiences that will broaden imaginations through participation in innovative STEM opportuni...

On this episode hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent interview Mariah Bonham, Groundwater Protection Coordinator, regarding the groundwater protection initiatives at the EAA – ranging from the importance of well registration to historic records serving as a tool for finding abandoned wells throughout the EAA jurisdiction.  

We've officially made it to the anniversary month that launched the EAA into existence back on June 28, 1996, and on this episode hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent have two very special guests that have held longstanding positions on the EAA board since the EAA began operations, EAA chairman Luana Buckner, representative for Medina / Atascosa Counties, known as District 13 and board member Carol Patter...

As you all may know by now this year is International Year of Caves and Karst, and the 'cave beetle' has been designated as animal of the year. Hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent discuss two endangered beetle species with Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP) Department's Kristy Kollaus, EAA Environmental Scientist, and Kristina Tolman, EAA Habitat Conservation Coordinator.

On this episode, hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent speak with Paul Bertetti, EAA Director of Aquifer Science, about characteristics of karst and how it relates to the Edwards Aquifer. Also, Paul provides an overview of how the aquifer recharges and discharges, and how the index wells in Bexar County and Uvalde county are important to monitoring the Edwards Aquifer System.

On this episode, hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent speak with Earl Parker, EAA Director of Regulatory Affairs, about aquifer management and protection programs where the general principles outlined in the EAA Act were the catalyst for key regulatory programs, groundwater withdrawal management, water quality and recharge zone protection. Listen and learn more about the details of these programs, and how...

Hosts Brent Doty and Ann-Margaret Gonzalez speak with EAA Executive Director of Aquifer Management Services, Mark Hamilton, about long-term research for groundwater systems, surface water systems, and soil and land management practices out at the 151-acre EAA Field Research Park located in the Cibolo Creek Basin on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.

Hosts Brent Doty and Ann-Margaret Gonzalez speak with EAA General Manager, Roland Ruiz, as he further expands on the Next Generation initiative as a way to broaden the EAA's opportunity to partner and collaborate, discusses a land management demonstration site that is underway at the EAA Field Research Park, and highlights the future EAA Education Outreach Center at Morgan's Wonderland Camp.

On this episode, hosts Brent Doty and Ann-Margaret Gonzalez speak with Jim Winterle, EAA Director for Modeling, about aquifer modeling in which water well pumping and aquifer recharge data collected from over the past 80 years is used to simulate outputs like the springflows at Comal and San Marcos Springs or the water levels at index wells J-17 in Bexar County and J-27 in Uvalde County. Learn how...

Did you know? The underwater world of the Edwards Aquifer has predator species, some endangered, that dwell in the dark depths that are found nowhere else in the world? Also, discover the innovative way the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan is reducing the presence of the invasive, armored suckermouth catfish in San Marcos Springs Aquatic Ecosystem. Learn all about these species on this ep...

On this episode of the Recharge Zone Podcast hosts Ann-Margaret Gonzalez and Brent Doty speak with Thomas Marsalia, EAA Aquifer Protection Supervisor, to reflect on the successes of the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program (EAPP) and how the EAA will continue to serve the program. Also, EAA General Manager, Roland Ruiz, makes his first feature on the podcast and discusses with Ann-Margaret the EAA's...

Aquifer Storage and Recovery, aka ASR, is a water resource management technique for storing or injecting water underground for recovery in the future – typically during dry periods. In this episode our podcast hosts Ann-Margaret and Brent discuss the topic of ASR with Jenny Adkins-Schudrowitz, EAA Hydrogeologist, and Javier Hernandez, EAA Special Programs Liaison.

In Episode 1 Ann-Margaret and Brent breakdown the facts about the Edwards Aquifer System referencing Maddy's interviews from attendees that visited our EAA booth at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo this past February.