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MTGCD
BOARD. After Ed Dittfurth, of Stephenville, was appointed to
the MTGCD Board last Thursday, during their regular monthly
meeting, Board members posed for a new group photo. Left to right,
Jerry Henshaw, George Bingham, Jerry Fronterhouse, Ed Dittfurth,
Wes Burris (field tech), Shannon Mainord (administrative
assistant), Joe Cooper. Not pictured is Director Fred Parker, who
left immediately after the meeting, and Chairman Rodney Stephens,
who was absent. |
The Middle Trinity Groundwater
Conservation District directors voted to appoint Ed Dittfurth, of
Stephenville, to serve out the term of former board member Boyd
Waggoner.
Director George Bingham presided in the
absence of Chairman Rodney Stephens.
Dittfurth, the pastor of Stephenville
First Assembly of God, was introduced to the Board and the members of
the small audience (five including reporters) by the nominating
committee. The committee was comprised of Erath County directors, Fred
Parker and Jerry Hinshaw, and MTGCD manager, Joe Cooper (in a
non-voting capacity.)
“Fred, Joe, and I tried to find someone
to replace Boyd on the Board,” Hinshaw said, “and we put out the word
to a lot of people. Two people came forward, Georgia Scott, who you’ve
probably seen at these meetings... and Ed Dittfurth. We sat down and
visited with both of them, sort of an interview, and went over their
qualifications.
“Our decision was to go with Ed Dittfurth,”
Hinshaw said. “He’s very qualified, and we think he’s a good choice
for the board.”
He then had Joe Cooper read some of
Dittfurth's qualifications, which included the fact that he has a
Bachelor of Science in Hydrology, with a minor in math and biology
from Tarleton State University. He’s also proficient in the use of
computers and many software packages, having been trained in GIS
mapping, GPS, and remote sensing and also has a knowledge of TECQ
regulations.
Dittfurth's past employment included
owning and operating an environmental consulting firm, and a stint
with the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research, where he
was responsible for designing, operating, and maintaining the storm
sampling program of the Upper North Bosque River Watershed. His duties
included programming and management of hydrological and biological
field equipment, retrieval of data, and supervision of field teams.
Cooper also noted that Dittfurth “had been with Dow Chemical
Environmental Division, as a health and safety officer” among other
positions contributing to his vast experience.
“I think you can see that we’re fortunate
to have somebody with this broad of a background in hydrology, and
actual practical experience in the field with the types of things we
deal with every day,” Cooper said.
Prior to the vote, Dittfurth was asked if
he wanted to address the board.
“I would count it an honor to try and
serve, not only this board, but our counties,” Dittfurth said. “I’m
excited about the potential of not only utilizing our water resources,
and maximizing them, but also educating generations to come so they
know this is more precious to us than oil.” His comments drew “amens”
from board members and audience members alike.
Elaine Smith, a representative of Worried
About Water, addressed the board briefly during the public comments
portion of the meeting.
“We just wanted to express our thanks,”
Smith said, “to the water district, and to Joe Cooper. As you know, we
all trekked to Austin a couple of times this past month. The
resolution that was passed by this board, was presented into evidence
at both of those hearings. Joe made an excellent speech at the
Huckabay hearing, and we just wanted to express our thanks that this
board was well represented and that it did a good job.”
The board then expressed their thanks to
Smith.
During the manager’s report, Cooper
informed those present that the District has begun preparations for
establishing a water testing lab within their Comanche office.
“I expect that within the next month or
two months we’ll be able to start testing water samples,” Cooper said,
“instead of having to refer them to the Upper Leon River (Municipal
Water District.)”
“What will we be able to test for?”
Bingham asked.
“Right now, the plan is to be able to
test for E coli,” Cooper said, “any kind of bacteria that could be
health hazard. We’ll also look for nitrates...and things like that.”
In other business, MTGCD directors:
• Approved, with the correction of one
date, the minutes for the April 2007 meeting.
• Approved the payment of bills.
• Authorized the addition of field tech
Wes Burris’ name to the District’s MasterCard account.
• Heard an income/expense comparison
report from Cooper, wherein he noted that the District’s accounts
“balanced to the penny.”
Just prior to the regular meeting, three
operating permits for wells were approved -- two in Erath County and
one in Comanche County -- in a brief permit hearing. |
