MORE WEATHER LIKE THIS COMING MILES PER HOUR AND WE’LL SEE
MORE WEATHER LIKE THIS COMING UP NEXT. COUPLE DAYS, GUYS. ALL RIGHT. SO YOU SEE THE
NUMBER EVERY DAY RIGHT HERE
ON KSAT 12, THE AQUA FOR LEVEL.
BUT WHAT IS THAT NUMBER REALLY
MEAN?
>> AND WHY IS THE EDWARDS
AQUIFER SO IMPORTANT AND
HEAVILY REGULATED?
METEOROLOGIST JUSTIN HORNE
ANSWERS BY TO JOIN US NOW TO
CHAT ABOUT A NEW EPISODE OF
KSAT EXPLAINS ALL ABOUT THE
EDWARDS AQUIFER. WANT TO GET
GOING TO HAPPY TO BE HERE AND
TALK ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT
SUBJECT. YEAH, YOU BET. GOOD TO
HAVE YOU HERE AT ON THE 9
O’CLOCK SHOW. SO LET’S START
WITH THE BASIC QUESTION,
ESPECIALLY FOR FOLKS
OR MAYBE NEW TO OUR
METROPOLITAN AREA ARE NEVER
REALLY DELVED INTO THIS.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE EDWARDS
AQUIFER? SO PLAIN AND SIMPLE?
IT’S OUR LARGEST SOURCE OF
DRINKING WATER IN SAN ANTONIO.
IT IS AN UNDERGROUND SYSTEM
OF GROUND WATER POROUS
LIMESTONE. THE WATER FILLS UP
THIS LIMESTONE AND WE HARVESTED
EVERY DAY AT THE J 17. WELL.
>> AND THAT’S WHY WE REPORT
THE NUMBER. YEAH, IT’S IT IS A
ITS BIG DEAL.
>> AND WHY IS THE APA FOR
REGULATED? ARE WE WORRIED ABOUT
THAT DRYING UP?
>> IT’S A GOOD QUESTION AND WE
GET THAT QUESTION. A IS PREFER
GOING TO DROP ARE GOING TO USE
ALL THE WATER AND THE ANSWER
IS NO. THE REASON, THOUGH, THE
THAT PREFER IS REGULATED IS
FIRST OFF, IT BECAME VERY
LITIGIOUS IN 80’S 90’S. PEOPLE
WERE EVERYBODY WANTED A PIECE
RIGHT. EVERYBODY WANTS WATER,
BUT ALSO WE HAD TO PROTECT
ENDANGERED SPECIES. THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT STEPPED IN AND SAID
YOU’VE GOT TO PROTECT THESE
ENDANGERED SPECIES ARE WE WILL.
AND SO THAT’S WHY WE STARTED
WATCHING THE LEVEL OF THE OPERA
FOR VERY CLOSELY. AND THAT.
>> RIGHT THERE. THAT IS POSTER
CHILD FOR THE EDWARDS AQUIFER.
THAT IS THE TEXAS BLIND
SALAMANDER. AND THERE YOU CAN
SEE THEY’RE ACTUALLY IN ONE
OF THE SPRINGS. THEY’RE TAGGING
WHERE THEY CAN FIND ANY KIND
OF SALAMANDERS THERE IN THE
CA MAU THE COW SALAMANDER IN
PARTICULAR. THE THING IS THE
AQUA FOR WE’RE NOT WORRIED
ABOUT IT. RUNNING OUT OF WATER.
IT’S GOT ENOUGH WATER IN IT
TO SUSTAIN PEOPLE INDEFINITELY.
BUT THOSE SALAMANDERS, THEY
NEED A CLEAR, CLEAN FLOWING
STREAM OF WATER JUGS THAT THAT
SPRINGS, THIS SPRING’S FLOW.
YEAH. ORDER TO SURVIVE IN FOR
ME. JUST AND THAT WAS THE MOST
IN LIGHTNING PART FOR ME
BECAUSE I GREW UP AROUND SAN
ANTONIO. I THOUGHT EVERY TIME
WE SAW THE NUMBER ON ON TV, IT
WAS BECAUSE WE WERE WORRIED
ABOUT THE AQUIFER DRYING UP.
YEAH, NOT NOT THE CASE, RIGHT
WHERE WHERE THE PROTECTION
THERE OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES
IS THE THE MAIN ISSUE AND VERY
QUICKLY, THEY.
>> THE TERM I HEARD A LOT WAS
CANARY IN THE COAL MINE.
SO, YEAH, THESE SALAMANDERS
REALLY TELL US WHAT THE HEALTH
OF THE AQUIFER IS. AND IT’S
IMPORTANT TO US THAT THEY STAY
HEALTHY BECAUSE WE KNOW IT’S
HEALTHY FOR US ALL MAKE SENSE
TO ME AT SANTO METRIC OR
SCORING VERY RAPIDLY. WE CAN
CONTINUE TO DO SO FOR DECADES
TO COME.
>> IS THE EDWARDS AQUIFER
AUTHORITY OR CONCERNED ABOUT
WATER ALL CURRENT AND
UPCOMING DEVELOPMENT?
>> YES, THEY ARE. AND THEY’RE
WATCHING THIS, ESPECIALLY OVER
THE RECHARGE ZONE. HOW DOES
DEVELOPMENT DICTATE THAT?
AND WHERE DOES THE POLLUTION
GO? AND SO THEY’RE TRYING TO BE
VERY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HOW WE GO
FORWARD HERE. BUT DEVELOPING
OVER THE EDWARDS AQUIFER AND
WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE TO
MAKE SURE THE WATER STAY
SUSTAINABLE. AND, YOU ONE PART
WE DIDN’T REALLY GET INTO A LOT
HERE IN THIS EPISODE WAS SAWS
ROLE IN ALL THIS AND SAUCES
DIVERSIFIED THEIR WATER WATER
PORTFOLIO IS THAT COLLEGE?
SO WE HAVE THE VISTA RIDGE
PIPELINE. WE HAVE DESALINATION.
THEY’RE NOT JUST USING THE
EDWARDS AQUIFER LIKE THEY USED
TO SAYS THAT’S THAT’S PART OF
IT. BUT THE FUTURE IS BEING
WATCHED VERY CLOSELY BY THE END
WAS OFFERING THEM GOT WORK
AHEAD OF RIGHT. AND YOU KNOW,
SAN ANTONIO IS GROWING SAN
ANTONIO METRO AREA’S GROWING.
>> BUT THERE ARE HUGE SWATHS
OF LAND THAT ARE BEING
PROTECTED FROM FUTURE
DEVELOPMENT SIMPLY TO KEEP THE
AQUA FOR CLEAN CLEAR AND THE
SPRINGS FLOWING.
>> AND SO IT WAS JUST
FASCINATING TO BE ABLE TO DO
THIS. YOU KNOW, I KIND OF THINK
OF IT LIKE A NAT GEO PACKAGES.
WE’VE GOT TO DO OUR OWN LITTLE
MINI NAT GEO PACKAGE. I’M
HOPING THAT CLASSROOMS MAY SHOW
THIS, YOU KNOW, TO TEACH KIDS
ABOUT THE AQUIFER. IT WAS SO
COOL. I GOT TO NERD OUT AND
HOLD ONE OF THOSE TEXAS BLIND
SALAMANDERS IN MY HANDS AND
DOING THAT. IT REALLY WAS
SO FRAGILE HE DID FOR PEOPLE
LIKE JUST A REMINDER, HOW CAN
THEY WATCHED?
>> RIGHT. SO KSAT.COM SLASH
EXPLAINS. AND THEN JUST TO DENY
ANY WAY YOU STREAM. SO
KSAT.COM. ALSO, THERE’S KSAT
PLUS WHAT SHE CAN GET ON YOUR
ROKU. AMAZON FIRE STICK ALL OF
THOSE THINGS. AND WE’VE ALSO
SHARED IT TO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA
SITES IF YOU FOLLOW US, THERE’S
SHOULD BE QUICK LINK THERE,
TOO. SO IT’S ABOUT 20 MINUTES
LONG, BUT IT’S IT’S IT’S GOOD
OF THE AAC FOR EVERYTHING YOU
NEED TO KNOW AND CAN’T THANK
ENOUGH THE TEAM BEHIND KSAT
EXPLAINS THIS. VALERIE GOMEZ,
OUR EDITOR, ALL OF
PHOTOGRAPHERS OUT THERE.
LEXI WAS GREAT. YEAH. OKAY.