Additional water permitting for GBRA would create undesired future conditions in Gonzales County

It is by now almost old news that the Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District’s (GCUWCD, or District) board members are currently considering the Permit Amendment Application for the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) for both an increase in the amount of groundwater it may produce and export out of Gonzales County from the Carrizo Aquifer.

The age of the newsflash is unimportant. What’s important is the consequence of the GCUWCD board’s action for the citizens of Gonzales County, the future of those citizens, and their children.

There have been lots of technical data for everyone to consider in recent months. Names like DFC and MAG, and phrases like “future conditions,” “permitted amount” and “production amount” of water; and many of us have serious concerns about what will be the future for water and those who use it in Gonzales County.

Let us discuss the important things for Gonzales County citizens and the GCUWCD board to consider.

A “DFC” is a term that means a “Desired Future Condition.” This term basically means what is the adopted water level in an aquifer over the foreseeable future. What does a community need to do to maintain the status quo of water availability? Will a community or region be able to live with less, or need more in the future? Questions like these are considered when the Texas Water Development Board adopts a DFC.

Water is finite. There is no life without it, and there is no substitute for it. Therefore, in determining the haves and have-nots, the Desired Future Condition for the Carrizo Aquifer is probably the most important responsibility the GCUWCD board must manage by law.

Unfortunately for Gonzales County, the board has currently to date overpermitted the available groundwater of the Carrizo Aquifer. Also, GBRA has to date literally been banking on receiving approval of the permits the GCUWCD board is considering and has recently completed infrastructure to export water from Gonzales County to its customers elsewhere.

As a matter of fact, GBRA has other resources to provide water to its customers outside of Gonzales County. GBRA’s customers will receive water from elsewhere if the district denies GBRA’s permit amendment applications. Furthermore, many of those customers have other options to purchase water than to purchase from GBRA, and this is where the rub gets messy.

The major economic drivers of Gonzales County are mostly agriculturally based, along with some oil and mineral production. The district has already issued permits to allow for pumpage of groundwater from the Carrizo (about 91,000 acre-feet per year), which is much more than the 48,000 acre-feet per year that is considered available according to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB).

Currently there are six major producers/exporters that have been given permits by the district. Of the six major producers/exporters of Carrizo groundwater that have been permitted by the district (which includes GBRA, ARWA and AQUA — all having wells located in the northern portion of the district) to pump up to a total of about 70,000 acre-feet per year, only three (SSLGC, SAWS and CRWA — all having wells located in the southern portion of the district) have been actually producing/exporting groundwater under their permits until now, up to about 30,000 acre-feet per year out of their permitted amount of about 40,000 acre-feet per year.

Even under this reduced production, existing permit holders, as well as groundwater and surface water resources, have already been impacted by the pumpage of groundwater out of the Carrizo. Other factors that impact groundwater are climate cycles, such as drought conditions.

Consider this fact for a moment. About 91,000 acre-feet per year has been permitted and is considered overpermitted, and production exporters just by themselves already have been given permits to pump up to a total of about 70,000 acre-feet per year.

Moreover, this number does not include the extra 9,000 acre-feet per year that GBRA has applied for, nor does it include additional permit amendments that are believed to currently be in the preliminary application process by other exporters such as CRWA.

If the export producers begin producing what the district has permitted to date, the DFC will not be achieved, and it is expected the damage to the Carrizo aquifer will be at a devastating level in five to 10 years, not 50, as measured by the DFC. The Desired Future Conditions will be reached and exceeded much sooner rather than later, and results will be, well, undesirable.

Water holes will dry up, as will smaller water wells typically used for agricultural and domestic purposes. Land prices will likely plummet due to the lack of infrastructure to provide water to Gonzales County residents.

On Tuesday, June 10, the Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District will be continuing its public hearing on whether to grant or deny GBRA’s permit application. The board is also considering new rules for adoption and the public is encouraged to be a part of the rule-making process.

The board can also adopt rules that reflect the values of the citizens of Gonzales County, and adopt rules that protect water supply, such as a drought management plan. The board meeting and hearing will be at the Gonzales County Court House at 5:30 p.m.

Become involved. Water is given in finite amounts and managing that water is a do or do not process. There are places that have water, and places that have not. For Gonzales County, what is today, tomorrow may not be.

Autumn Selman works for the Dunbar Law Firm, which represents the Water Protection Association. The Water Protection Association (WPA) was established in 2006 by volunteer officers and members to protect the groundwater and surface water resources and the rights of the people of Gonzales County.