GCUWCD needs to reject additional water exporting

Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District Board Members:

As a taxpayer, citizen of Gonzales and voter in favor of the creation of GCUWCD, please accept this letter as my strongest opposition to granting any additional export permitting.

Attending a portion of the Administrative Court testimony held in February 2025, it was disturbing to learn, using your data and records, the GCUWCD has already permitted nearly 90% of its available water resources. Currently permitted wells include water exporters, local farmers/ranchers and households and does not include water wells exempt from district authority such as municipal (city) wells for local citizens in Waelder and Gonzales.

Respectively I ask, has GCUWCD looked at a 50 to 75-year water projection plan and do you have one on file for your quick review? It appears by using your numbers for granted/approved permits, we have no ability to grow new households or employers and could be looking to export water to us!

Who is advising you that we do not have a water shortage? There has not been a central Texas water professional in over 10 years that has advised there is not a water shortage; the last 5-years’ local growth should be evident you may have received incorrect information.

As background information of our district, in the early 1990s several local farmers, stakeholders and the City of Gonzales saw there was going to be a strong future-movement to acquire our water and pump it to places that chose not to properly manage their water resources. GCUWCD was voted into existence by the voters on November 19, 1993 and the district mission clearly stated, in part, ...to conserve, preserve, protect, and prevent waste of groundwater resources. It shall be the policy of the board that the most efficient use of groundwater in the district is to provide for the needs of the citizens and ensure growth for future generations with the cooperation of the citizens of the district, shall implement this management plan and its accompanying rules to achieve this goal... (emphasis added).

Many area property owners, inside and outside the district, have sold their water rights and these previously granted permits by the district allows pumping that water out of our aquifers and can severely lower our water levels. There will continue to be additional property owners selling their future rights to water exporters and they have that right to do so. Exporters already secured their permits from previous boards – please do not increase their ability to pump and sell any more of our water. The district’s permitting power is only within our district however, the safe permitting limit has greatly exceeded safe levels without consideration of other avenues exporters may use and develop in the future.

Again, I ask that you adhere to the mission of past insightful citizens and fully reject any future export permit applications of our groundwater and consider our future generations in each of your decisions.

Thank you for your time, consideration and planning foresight to wholly reject any future exporting permit applications. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the important issue of our future and water, please do not hesitate to contact me.