Due to significant continuing growth and limited groundwater supplies in Hays County, the District is approaching the limits of its available groundwater. In the interest of long-term groundwater security, the District is preparing a solutions-based planning process to collect stakeholder input that will be collectively used to form the Strategic Water Vision 2021.
Twenty years ago, the State Legislature created the District to manage the Trinity Aquifer—the primary water supply for one of the fastest-growing counties in the USA.
As our population has grown and new wells are drilled, the District estimates that groundwater resources will decline. During the record-setting drought of 2011, large numbers of wells went dry in the District. Since then, the District has counted almost 6,000 new households and businesses that rely solely on groundwater. When severe drought returns, the community could face widespread consequences.
We must consider and plan for how the limited amount of water in our aquifer will continue to support our ever-growing population while providing for the health and safety needs of existing users.
In order to hear from stakeholders throughout the community, the District has initiated an interactive process to help inform the best path forward to optimize the security and reliability of our limited water supplies. This group will look at methods for allocating future water supplies and addressing drought responses, as well as sustainable funding mechanisms for continuing the job mandated by the legislature.
The survey was distributed to Permit Holders. Feedback collected through this survey will inform future planning processes for the County and the District, including needs of the legislative and regulatory water usage requirements and the groundwater needs of the community. All feedback collected from this survey will be documented and summarized in a final report available to the public in early 2021 on the District website.
To maximize the effectiveness of this project, the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District has retained the consultation team of Carollo Engineering and Nancy Ledbetter & Associates.
