The Wimberley Methodist Church was filled to capacity as concerned residents gathered for the community forum, “Water: Living in Stage 5.” The event, organized by local civic group Wimberley Roundtable in partnership with the Hays County League of Women Voters, brought together water experts, elected officials, and citizens wondering and worried about the rapidly diminishing aquifer and the political battles that could determine its future.
Andrew Weber, president of Wimberley Roundtable, set the tone for the evening by emphasizing the urgency of the water situation. “We decided to have forums like this on topics of interest in the community, trying to bring our community together, metaphorically around the table, and talk about issues of common concern, no matter which side of the politics we are on,” Weber said.
Weber also announced a follow-up event scheduled for June 18, featuring the documentary “Written on Water,” primarily about the Ogallala Aquifer but with relevant lessons for the Wimberley Valley’s water challenges.
Moderator DuAnne Redus guided the panel through a series of presentations and discussions, noting that water has been a constant concern during her 25 years in Wimberley. “When I moved here 25 years ago, on the front page of the Wimberley View was a big article about water. And here we are 25 years later, we’re still having to think about water,” Redus observed, setting the context of Texas’s “rule of capture” law that allows landowners to pump virtually unlimited amounts of water from beneath their property.
The panel included Dan Pickens, former board member of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District; Marshall Jennings, retired hydrogeologist and former assistant director of the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center; Linda Kaye Rogers, vice president of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, or HTGCD; Chris Elliott, a concerned Rolling Oaks well owner; and Hays County Precinct 4 Commissioner Walt Smith.
Pickens painted a stark picture of the crisis facing the region. “The situation is darker. We’re using nine times more water than we did in the drought of record, in the 1950s. And our population is projected to more than double in the next 25 years,” he said, noting that Hays County’s population had grown from 24,000 during the drought of record in 1957 to 292,000 in 2024, with water usage increasing from 720 million gallons to 9 billion gallons annually.
Jennings, at 87 years old, brought historical perspective to the discussion, describing his experiences with Texas droughts dating back to the 1930s. He emphasized the downward trend in water levels, noting his own well had lost about three feet per year or nearly 80 feet over 26 years of records.
“We’re far from sustainable,” Jennings said, defining groundwater sustainability as “the development and use of groundwater resources to meet current and future beneficial uses without causing unacceptable environmental or socioeconomic consequences.”
Rogers highlighted the systemic challenges facing the HTGCD, describing it as being “handed a gun with no bullets” compared to other groundwater districts. “Our creeks and springs are going dry, and Jacob’s Well hasn’t flowed for three years now. That isn’t just the environment, that is the economy of this whole area. Without it, Wimberley is not going to make it,” predicting that the region would be “out of groundwater in 10 years” if current trends continue.
Elliott approached the issue from a business and landowner perspective, arguing that the current system leaves landowners powerless. “The groundwater districts are here to help us, but they have bad math. If you look at their model, the state set it up for them to fail. They can’t make their books balance,” Elliott said, advocating for landowners to organize and push for changes at the state legislature.
Commissioner Smith provided updates on current legislation and county initiatives, describing efforts to strengthen the HTGCD through Senate Bill 2660, which would give the district the same Chapter 36 authority enjoyed by other groundwater districts in the county.
“I think that the only way we can address that is to give the groundwater district itself some teeth and some funding mechanisms,” Smith said.
SB 2660 would require that large pumpers pay pennies per 1000 gallons for the water the currently does not have any groundwater district fee.
The discussion turned contentious when former State Representative Jason Isaac, husband of current Representative Carrie Isaac, was challenged on claims he had made about SB 2660 requiring metering of private wells.
“Mandatory metering of private wells is in SB 2660,” Isaac claimed, prompting Linda Kaye Rogers to respond, “I am sorry, this is absolutely not true, Mr. Isaac.” She stated that under Chapter 36 groundwater districts explicitly cannot meter exempt private wells.
Commissioner Smith challenged Isaac about House Bill 2812, filed by Representative Carrie Isaac, which would exempt public water systems from groundwater district regulations.
According to Smith, HB 2812 would effectively strip the HTGCD of regulatory authority over major water suppliers, potentially allowing companies like Aqua Texas and Dripping Springs Water Supply Corporation to pump unlimited amounts of water. Smith cited his belief that Aqua Texas had exceeded its permitted pumping in recent years.
More positive comments came when Smith and Precinct 3 Commissioner Morgan Hammer discussed county-level initiatives to address water concerns. Smith highlighted a recently adopted resolution prohibiting variances to groundwater availability study requirements for new developments and mentioned the county’s work on a “conservation development title” that would incentivize developers to implement water-saving measures.
“We’re probably going to be the first county in the entire state of Texas with a full conservation development title,” Smith said, explaining that developers could receive incentives for leaving 50 percent of the property as open space and implementing rainwater collection instead of drilling wells.
Commissioner Morgan Hammer said “As I’ve been in office for about four months, I would tell you that I was ignorant about the water issue until then. Water is the most complex issue that we have, and it deserves all our attention. It’s a nonpartisan issue. All sides need to support water quality and water security. I will tell you now, when I’m out of office, by the end of my term, I will have you in a better position regarding water. You can hold me to that, I promise that.”
A video of the meeting can be viewed on YouTube: https://youtu. be/UhOYoEHY0EE Note: The video cuts out for approximately 15 minutes near the end, but the audio remains uninterrupted.
During the question- and-answer session, residents expressed deep concern about the water situation and sought guidance on how to advocate effectively for protective legislation. Panelists encouraged contacting representatives about SB 2660, specifically asking them to restore connection fees that had been removed from the bill.
The standing- room-only crowd reflected growing alarm among Wimberley Valley residents about their water future. As one attendee noted when asking how to approach legislators, “I can’t think of words strong enough to express how wrong this is.”
The next Wimberley Roundtable community forum on water issues is scheduled for June 18, when the documentary, “Written on Water,” will be screened.
(Editor’s Note: David Baker, who co-authored this article, is the executive director of The Watershed Association.)
