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HTGCD drops well registration penalties, encourage registrations

On Wednesday, June 20, 2018 the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD) Board of Directors approved temporarily suspending all enforcement actions through December 31, 2018 concerning the registering of an existing well within HTGCD boundaries. If you register your existing well, there will be no penalties owed to HTGCD.

The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD) is one of over 100 groundwater districts established by the State to manage Texas aquifers. The District’s authority covers the Trinity Aquifer over the entire western portion of Hays County including Henly, Dripping Springs, Driftwood, and Wimberley. The HTGCD boundary extends to the surrounding county borders of Travis, Blanco and Comal with the Trinity Aquifer in the eastern portion of Hays County covered by a neighboring groundwater district, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD).

One of the duties that HTGCD performs is approving new groundwater well registrations. An inspection of the registration is important as new wells must be drilled 50 feet away from any septic tank, 100 feet away from a sanitary field, 150 feet from contamination, and 50 feet away from the property line. Drilling your well closer may impact your drinking water and pose additional problematic health concerns. Most wells registered with HTGCD in western Hays County are classified as “exempt” as the water is used for domestic, residential or agricultural purposes. Some wells are classified as “non-exempt” as the water is to be used for commercial, public water supply or retail water supply use. All new wells, exempt and non-exempt, must be registered with the groundwater district. In addition, non-exempt wells are required by rule to obtain an operating permit with HTGCD.

HTGCD has been in operation since September 2001 and there are thousands of wells that have been drilled and have been in operation in western Hays County that pre-date the groundwater district. These wells are considered “existing wells” and one of our tasks is to register all existing wells within our boundary so that we have a better understanding of groundwater usage. Recently Electro Purification (EP), whose wells are located outside HTGCD’s boundary but within the BSEACD boundary and management authority, has submitted an operating permit application to BSEACD to produce a maximum annual amount of 2,800 acre feet or over 912 million gallons/year. This operating permit, if approved, could potentially impact water levels in wells within the HTGCD. We ask that all existing groundwater wells within the HTGCD boundary be registered with HTGCD no matter if your well is in close proximity of the proposed EP wellfield or many miles away. Registering your well is the first step in protecting your rights concerning any potential mitigation with EP. You can register your well online no matter how much information you have pertaining to your well; we just want all wells registered. www.haysgroundwater.comWe further request that all existing groundwater wells within the BSEACD boundary be registered online with BSEACD.

Thank you for your help in cooperating with the local groundwater districts in a common effort to better manage our groundwater resources.

Wimberley View

P.O. Box 49
Wimberley, TX 78676
Phone: 512-847-2202
Fax: 512-847-9054