Guadalupe City

UPPER GUADALUPE RIVER AUTHORITY . The Upper Guadalupe River Authority was created in 1939 by the Forty-sixth Texas Legislature "to control, develop, store, preserve and distribute" the waters of the upper Guadalupe and its tributaries. Because of problems unique to the hilly terrain and a narrow drainage basin in the Guadalupe headwater area, the creating act limited this conservation and reclamation district specifically to Kerr County. However, the authority functioned cooperatively with the ten-county downriver region served by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority . In 1964 Kerr County voters authorized a tax of five cents per $100 property value to cover general operating expenses. Beginning in 1965 the authority began funding a variety of studies investigating the groundwater resources in the county. In 1977 the authority signed a water supply contract with the city of Kerrville, and in 1980 it entered into an agreement with the county commissioners court to provide environmental health services. During the early 1980s the authority established the Regional Water Testing Laboratory to provide a complete range of testing services, and in 1989 the directors approved a significant tax increase to fund the installation and maintenance of the Kerr County flood-alert system. The authority is governed by a nine-member board of directors appointed by the governor for six-year overlapping terms. Administrative offices are in Kerrville.