(a) RWPs shall consolidate and present information on current and planned preparations for, and responses to, drought conditions in the region including, but not limited to, Drought of Record conditions based on the following subsections.
(b) RWPGs shall conduct an assessment of current preparations for drought within the RWPA. This may include information from local Drought Contingency Plans. The assessment shall include:
  (1) A description of how water suppliers in the RWPA identify and respond to the onset of drought; and
  (2) Identification of unnecessary or counterproductive variations in drought response strategies among water suppliers that may confuse the public or impede drought response efforts. At a minimum, RWPGs shall review and summarize drought response efforts for neighboring communities including the differences in the implementation of outdoor watering restrictions.
(c) RWPGs shall identify drought response triggers and actions regarding the management of existing groundwater and surface water sources in the RWPA designated in accordance with §357.32 of this title (relating to Water Supply Analysis), including:
  (1) Factors specific to each source of water supply to be considered in determining whether to initiate a drought response for each water source including specific recommended drought response triggers;
  (2) Actions to be taken as part of the drought response by the manager of each water source and the entities relying on each source, including the number of drought stages; and
  (3) Triggers and actions developed in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection may consider existing triggers and actions associated with existing Drought Contingency Plans.
(d) RWPGs shall collect information on existing major water infrastructure facilities that may be used for interconnections in event of an emergency shortage of water. At a minimum, the RWP shall include a general description of the methodology used to collect the information, the number of existing and potential emergency interconnects in the RWPA, and a list of which entities are connected to each other. In accordance with Texas Water Code §16.053(r), certain information regarding water infrastructure facilities is excepted from the Public Information Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 552. Any excepted information collected shall be submitted separately to the EA in accordance with guidance to be provided by EA.
(e) RWPGs may provide general descriptions of local Drought Contingency Plans that involve making emergency connections between water systems or WWP systems that do not include locations or descriptions of facilities that are disallowed under subsection (d) of this section.
(f) RWPGs may designate recommended and alternative Drought Management Water Management Strategies and other recommended drought measures in the RWP including:
  (1) List and description of the recommended Drought Management Water Management Strategies and associated WUGs and WWPs, if any, that are recommended by the RWPG. Information to include associated triggers to initiate each of the recommended Drought Management WMSs;
  (2) List and description of alternative Drought Management WMSs and associated WUGs and WWPs, if any, that are included in the plan. Information to include associated triggers to initiate each of the alternative Drought Management WMSs;
  (3) List of all potentially feasible Drought Management WMSs that were considered or evaluated by the RWPG but not recommended; and
  (4) List and summary of any other recommended Drought Management Measures, if any, that are included in the RWP, including associated triggers if applicable.
(g) The RWPGs shall evaluate potential emergency responses to local drought conditions or loss of existing water supplies; the evaluation shall include identification of potential alternative water sources that may be considered for temporary emergency use by WUGs and WWPs in the event that the Existing Water Supply sources become temporarily unavailable to the WUGs and WWPs due to unforeseeable hydrologic conditions such as emergency water right curtailment, unanticipated loss of reservoir conservation storage, or other localized drought impacts. RWPGs shall evaluate, at a minimum, municipal WUGs that:
  (1) have existing populations less than 7,500;
  (2) rely on a sole source for its water supply regardless of whether the water is provided by a WWP; and
  (3) all County-Other WUGs.
(h) RWPGs shall consider any relevant recommendations from the Drought Preparedness Council.
(i) RWPGs may make drought preparation and response recommendations regarding:
  (1) Development of, content contained within, and implementation of local Drought Contingency Plans required by the Commission;
  (2) Current drought management preparations in the RWPA including:
    (A) drought response triggers; and
    (B) responses to drought conditions;
  (3) The Drought Preparedness Council and the State Drought Preparedness Plan; and
  (4) Any other general recommendations regarding drought management in the region or state.
(j) The RWPGs shall develop region-specific model Drought Contingency Plans.

Source Note: The provisions of this §357.42 adopted to be effective August 12, 2012, 37 TexReg 5797; amended to be effective December 8, 2016, 41 TexReg 9589; amended to be effective June 28, 2020, 45 TexReg 4211; amended to be effective May 1, 2022, 47 TexReg 2527