Jacob’s Well Groundwater Management Zone proposed

A new Groundwater Management Zone has been proposed to protect sustainable spring flow from Jacob’s Well into Cypress Creek, often called the lifeblood of Wimberley. A Jacob’s Well Groundwater Management Zone (JWGMZ) was recommended last month by a “Spring Flow” task force formed by the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD).

The JWGMZ would be a special management zone located in the upper Cypress Creek Watershed and would cover approximately 32 square miles located around and north of Jacob’s Well - a major part of the Well’s recharge zone - and would apply a series of “best practices” with the goal of ensuring Jacob’s Well, the source of Cypress Creek, will continue to flow even during heavy usage conditions. Special management zones are allowed by the Texas Water Code to help localize groundwater rules around areas of importance.

“Our groundwater resources are limited,” said Hays County Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon Shell, a member of the special spring flow task force. “They are under stress now and they are going to be under more stress in the future. It is imperative that we come together as a community and understand how we are going to address our groundwater supplies in the future. I think this task force was a good step toward that goal.”

Along with the creation of the Jacob’s Well Groundwater Management Zone, the group will also propose a set of recommendations that will be brought to the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors during the August meeting and is expected to be voted on in September after there is an opportunity for public comment.

The task force also recommended consideration of a second Regional Recharge Zone located from the south and west boundaries of the JWGMZ to Hays County’s borders with Comal and Blanco counties. This second GMZ would serve to protect groundwater flows to the Pleasant Valley Springs area, which is critical to the health of the Blanco River. This is for future consideration by the district.

“Maintaining spring flow into Cypress Creek and the Blanco River is essential for our local economy and for the health of our regional ecosystems,” said Wimberley Valley Watershed Association (WVWA) Executive Director David Baker, also a member of the task force. “Establishing management zones is something the WVWA has been advocating for since 2010, when an unsustainable 30 feet of drawdown was adopted as a policy by Groundwater Management Area 9 (GMA-9). Just 1-2 feet of drawdown in the Middle Trinity causes Jacob’s Well and Cypress Creek to stop flowing.

“We were already over-pumping the aquifer in 2000 when Jacob’s Well stopped for the first time in recorded history. Even developers and water utilities represented on the task force recognize that keeping the springs flowing at Jacob’s Well and Pleasant Valley - and keeping the water clean and healthy - is a benefit to everyone.”

The 35 member volunteer task force was established in August last year and began work in October. The group was selected and invited by HTGCD President Linda Kaye Rogers and included landowners, developers, community leaders, government representatives, environmental advocates, technical, science and education professionals and business leaders, including representatives of Aqua Texas and Wimberley Water Supply Corporation. Meetings were run by professional facilitator Robin Rather.

Despite the large size of the group and diversity of opinions and motivations of its members - and occasional strong discussions and reassessment - the task force came to 100% consensus on six of the seven recommendations for the proposed JWGMZ.

“The science says that 80-85% of the spring flow of Jacob’s Well is coming from the Cypress Creek watershed,” said Baker. “But equally important to the Wimberley Valley is the flow of Pleasant Valley Springs and the Blanco River. I hope the HTGCD board will move forward to adopt the overwhelming community support of these recommendations and include a Regional Recharge Zone to give equal protection to the Blanco River and Pleasant Valley Springs.”

HTGCD President Rogers, who has worked a long time to create the task force, expressed satisfaction with its work. “I am pleased. Jacob’s Well plays a key economic role in the Wimberley Valley. The vitality of the spring is important because it feeds Cypress Creek and all the little springs that come off of it and feed the wells in the area.”

The identified zone for the JWGMZ will be presented to the HTGCD board and the community at its next meeting on July 17 at 5:30 pm at the Hays County Precinct 3 offices in the Agrilife room located at 200 Stillwater in Wimberley.

The recommendations for the special management of the zone will be presented at the HTGCD board meeting August 28 in Dripping Springs. After the board reviews the recommendations, they will be posted for a 20-day public comment period. A final hearing is scheduled for the September meeting where the recommendations, should they be accepted, will be voted into rule.