TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — For some in Travis County, there will be two Proposition A's on the November ballot.
- Voters will decide on water conservation district
- There is now more strain on Trinity Aquifer
- Limited supply of water and high demand
While one deals with funding for the Travis County Expo Center, the other deals with establishing a water conservation district for southwest portions of the county.
Nearly 30 years ago, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality designated five counties, in addition to portions of three other counties, as part of the Hill Country Priority Groundwater Management Area (PGMA), including southwestern Travis County. Researchers have determined that area, along with eight other study areas, either have or are expected to have possible groundwater shortages within the next 50 years.
As growth continues in Travis County, researchers say there is more strain being put on the Trinity Aquifer, which provides the area with groundwater. Out of the Hill Country PGMA, only southwestern Travis County remains without a groundwater conservation district (GCD).
Richard Scadden, board member of the proposed Southwestern Travis County Groundwater Conservation District (SWTCGCD), said in order to maintain the growth being seen in the county, the water supply has to continue to be viable.
Proposed SWTCGDC Map
While surface water use is regulated by the state, groundwater has typically been subject to the “rule of capture.”
"Which means that anyone can extract as much water from beneath their own property as they want, and that's fine, as long as there's plenty of water to go around,” said Scadden. “But as water becomes more scarce, it needs to be managed more thoughtfully than that, and this groundwater conservation district has the authority to do so.”
“There’s a limited supply and a high demand,” said Robin Gary, education coordinator for the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD).
Travis County hired BSEACD to help conduct research on the groundwater situation in their part of the Hill Country PGMA.
"We've done site visits, we've compiled existing data, we've gone through and gotten geophysical logs and drilled monitor wells, and established new monitor sites, which was all very needed,” said Gary.
“This establishes a good baseline of science information so that the policy makers can have a sound basis for making their decisions."
Gary said historic data suggests that water levels in the lower and middle Trinity Aquifers have been dropping upwards of 2 feet per year since the late 1950s/early 1960s.
While the goal of the proposed GCD is to promote good stewardship of what researchers suggest is a limited resource, some like Bee Cave council member, Jon Cobb, question the group’s motives.
"There's never been a groundwater district in the state that's ever saved any water,” said Cobb.
Cobb believes the GCD will simply add another level of bureaucracy. He’s also concerned about the cost.
"One of the problems with the groundwater, the proposed groundwater district, is that how are they going to pay for it,” questioned Cobb.
“The people that are proponents of the groundwater district will say is ‘well it's not going to raise your taxes.’"
The GCD may not raise your taxes, but it would create user fees for high-water users, according to the conservation district’s website. That would include users of irrigation wells, like golf courses, industrial and agricultural users, as well as public-use suppliers like water control and improvement districts (WCIDs) and municipal utility districts (MUDs).
The user fees haven’t been set in stone yet, however GCD proponents claim they shouldn’t be very high.
If voters approve the SWTCGCD, the conservation district will then be able to draft a management plan to establish solid rules, regulations and fees and determine who they’ll actually apply to.
According to a proposed SWTCGCD map, the GCD would cover all of southwestern Travis County, including a small portion of Austin. However certain communities like Bee Cave, Lakeway and Village of the Hills would all be exempt because those cities use surface water rather than groundwater — however people in those communities will still have the ability to vote on the issue.