SEPHCP committee approves transfer and reimbursement for Rancho Diana Wessa Cave Preserve

The Southern Edwards Plateau Habitat Conservation Plan (SEPHCP) Coordinating Committee voted March 11 to accept transfer of operations and management of the 639.87-acre Rancho Diana Wessa Cave Preserve from the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program (EAPP) and to reimburse EAPP $1,507,396.29 for 163 acres identified as eligible for karst protection enrollment.

The committee’s approval, moved by Bob Brock and seconded by Stan Jordan, was unanimous among those present. Staff said the move would add 163 acres to the SEPHCP portfolio and generate enrollment acres intended for future mitigation projects, though the exact number and Karst zone breakdown await formal confirmation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The transfer covers a parcel the city’s Parks and Recreation Department purchased under the 2000 Proposition 3 program for $5,844,941 in February 2001. Staff told the committee the EAPP will retain a conservation easement on the land held by the Edwards Aquifer Conservancy; SEPHCP would assume day-to-day maintenance and monitoring responsibilities under the transfer.

Why it matters: The parcel protects recharge quality and quantity for the Edwards Aquifer. Moving management to the SEPHCP and making enrollment acres available could affect future mitigation capacity for developments requiring karst-related offsets.

Committee staff described the mechanics: the full 163-acre portion of the tract identified for SEPHCP transfer would be reimbursed to EAPP for the original Prop 3 investment allocated to that portion, $1,507,396.29. The existing EAPP conservation easement would remain in place after the management transfer, creating layered protections alongside SEPHCP program requirements.

Staff noted that the transfer and reimbursement must proceed through additional approvals. The item will go next to the Parks Board and the Conservation Advisory Board on March 17 and March 26, then to the Planning and Community Development Committee and City Council for final action. Committee staff recommended approval at the coordinating committee meeting.

Committee members asked whether USFWS had reviewed the parcel for karst enrollment eligibility. Staff and consultants said USFWS review is part of the process and that the final determination will establish the exact number of enrollment acres and their Karst zone classification. During the meeting, staff referred to an earlier approximate figure of about 1,670 enrollment acres generated by the transferred portion; Jenny Blair, a consultant for the SEPHCP, said the “approximately 1,068 enrollment acres would all be for Karst 1 and 2 only.” Staff emphasized USFWS’s formal response will determine the final counts and zone assignments.

The committee then voted; Bob Brock made the motion to approve, Stan Jordan seconded, and Chair Ramirez called the vote. The motion carried with no opposition among members present.

The meeting also approved the committee’s prior meeting minutes before adjourning.