In response to community requests for additional protections in Wimberley Valley’s Cypress Creek Watershed, The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors passed new rules to protect water resources and springflow during drought.
I believe the intent of the Jacob’s Well Groundwater Management Zone is not only to protect the flow of Cypress Creek, but also to protect the resources and property of the citizens that reside in the Wimberley Valley.
Hays County Commissioner Precinct 3, Lon Shell
The Board created the Jacob’s Well Groundwater Management Zone based on findings from a multi-agency scientific study headed up by Edwards Aquifer Authority and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment hydrogeologists.
Those findings support a year-long stakeholder process designed to get consensus support from all user group representatives. Stakeholder participants from Hays County Precinct 3, local Water Supply Corporations, developers, Blue Hole, the Villages of Wimberley, Woodcreek and Wimberley, and local small business owners reached accord on large volume commercial pumping limitations during drought.
New rules will require cutbacks in pumping in the 39 mi2 Groundwater Management Zone when Jacob’s Well flow falls below 6-cubic feet per second. Pumping cutbacks will increase as flow diminishes.
The District recognizes that these rules are not designed to guarantee local spring flow at Jacob’s Well or at Pleasant Valley Springs — but rather to prolong healthy aquifer conditions and help protect local water wells during drought conditions.
HTGCD Board President Linda Kaye Rogers
“There is nothing the District can do to create new water during drought.” Says District Manager Charlie Flatten. “This is a shared resource and all users have a shared interest in making sure that all water is used in a responsible fashion for essential purposes.”
Cutbacks only apply to the ten largest groundwater users in the Zone including Aqua and Wimberley WSC. See District Management Zone webpage for details.