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Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Talking Groundwater with GCD Managers @ the 2022 Texas Groundwater Summit
2023 Drone Footage - Lake Buchanan HISTORIC lows
View this interesting Powerpoint Presentation from recent April 22 Meeting on Groundwater in NE Burnet County. You can download it and view on your own computer or device.
https://centraltexasgcd.org/groundwater-management/briggs-oakalla/
Drought Status: Stage 4 Critical Drought
Read more here: https://centraltexasgcd.org/drought-status-stage-4-critical-drought/
District Issues Mandatory Drought Water Reductions for 2025
Contact the CTGC District office at 512-756-4900 if you have furher questions.
WE ARE IN A CRITICAL DROUGHT
Average rainfall for Burnet County is 32-33" per year
(1954 was approx 9.98")
2019 - very rainy year
2020 - average rain year
Websites showing historic percip averages
Annual https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/burnet/most-yearly-precipitation
Monthly https://data.thegleaner.com/weather-data/burnet-county/48053/1914-02-01/
** TIME SENSITIVE ** PLEASE WRITE TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
Please, write in your own words as clearly as possible and it doesn't need be long
A small group of concerned Burnet County citizens and a county official are planning to go to the offices of our State Senator, Pete Flores and our State Representative, Ellen Troxclair, the week of Jan 20. They are going to request the state's help in conserving our water resources in Burnet County. The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District are joined in this effort to request that Burnet County become a P.G.M.A. (Priority Groundwater Management Area). Some of the other counties in the Hill Country have this designation.
As all of this is coming together, it would be very helpful if other concerned citizens of Burnet County sent an email to Senator Flores and Rep. Troxclair. Requesting their assistance for Burnet County to acquire the tools necessary to conserve our resources. Namely water, in this instance, designating Burnet County a P.G.M.A. Which would help greatly.
Please, write in your own words as clearly as possible and it doesn't need be long. Residents helping with this could be impactful. The sooner you are able to do this the better! It is important! Time is limited.
Here is their contact information for emailing them:
Senator Pete Flores, District 24
https://senate.texas.gov/member.php?d=24
On his webpage on the left side is a place that says, "click here to email your senator". So click on that and it will take you to a form to send the email.
Representative Ellen Troxclair, District 19
https://house.texas.gov/members/4385/email
Click on that link and it takes you directly to the form for emailing Rep. Troxclair
CENTRAL TEXAS GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
Board of Directors https://www.centraltexasgcd.org/district-information/board-of-directors/
NEW! The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District is starting a newsletter beginning May CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP https://www.centraltexasgcd.org/newsletters/
The severe drought is real and might be here to stay for a while. The CTGCD is implementing a
newsletter to better inform the public on ways to combat it. Collectively in the county, the local residential user is the largest user of ground water. The newsletter will be oriented toward providing users with water-wise solutions to lessen the impact of the drought over time. CTGCD has also identified NE Burnet County as a critical area of our Trinity Aquifer. As such, they have begun a study of our area to better identify the present conditions of the aquifer and how anticipated development in the area will affect it.
Will we be out of water in 20 years? or 50 years? or much sooner?
WATER IS OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE
The health of our ground water supply is critically fragile. In Central Texas, we are in a multi-year drought impacting our groundwater shortage, which can take years to reverse, if ever. This, coupled with the high rate at which new home consrtuction & businesses are outpacing water resources, has already created a crisis for many families, and assures a grim outlook for water.
Water shortages affect rural, urban, and suburban families - everyone
EDUCATE YOURSELF - Your Realtors & Developers will not explain the problems to you
Here are three web sites where you can begin:
OUR STATE LEGISLATORS RECENTLY (March 2024) approved changes which makes it easier for new wells on tracts 10 acres and larger.
Their votes and actions show that they are not considering that tax-paying individuals are at serious risk of losing access to water for their families and/or livestock.
Recent legislation makes it easier for Subdivisions, Developments, to drill more wells with less permitting, regardless of negative impact on neighboring residents. The recent change to the state law now exempts 10+ acre tract subdivisions from County Subdivision Regulations, and that means no water availability requirements either. 10+ acre tracts, with wells pumping 17 gpm capacity or less, are exempt from permitting.
Example: a subdivision with thirty-five 10 Acre Tracts, can drill 35 new wells without permits, without accountability of a 50 year water availability requirement, showing no harm to groundwater supply and neighbors for 50 years out (as recommended by water conservation entities.)
For details see section § 3.67 Permit by Rule for Certain Nonexempt Wells Located on a Tract of Land that is Ten Acres or Less
Read the March 27, 2024 District Rules document here: https://www.centraltexasgcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CURRENT-RULES-As-Revised-March-27-2024.pdf
Have you ever had your water well go dry?
For your family or your livestock, it is your worst nightmare.
4 Important signs your water well is running dry https://www.middlegawater.com/4-important-signs-your-water-well-is-running-dry
Drought Stage Status https://www.centraltexasgcd.org/drought-status/
Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District https://www.centraltexasgcd.org/
With the recent rains, green grasses, wildflowers, it is hard to imagine that we are in a drought, but, we are in a multi year drought. After two brutally hot, dry summers, 2022 & 2023, we still need weeks of consistant soaking rains for healthy groundwater reserves in order to support the rapidly increasing number of water wells in our County.
WE MUST CHANGE THE WAY WE LOOK AT WATER.
Texas has three agencies focused on water: the Texas Water Development Board, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Public Utility Commission, which have all recently gone through the Sunset Committee review process, optimizing accountability and efficiency across the State.
Texas Water Development Board
Dive in to all things water at the Texas Water Development Board's data-driven website.
This interactive mapping application provides access to water-related data for Texas. The viewer contains several GIS datasets relating to water resources, including TWDB groundwater data, brackish groundwater data, and data from the Submitted Driller's Reports Database. For more information on TWDB groundwater data resources, please visit the following links:
Rainwater Harvesting FACTS, Tax Incentives, and
ABOUT RAINWATER HARVESTING https://www.twdb.texas.gov/innovativewater/rainwater/
FAQ https://www.twdb.texas.gov/innovativewater/rainwater/faq.asp
Did you know that every inch of rain, about 600 gallons of water can be collected from 1,000 sq. ft. of roof area. So a house with 2000 sq. ft. of roof area may collect over 30,000 gallons a year. A rainwater collection system can be purchased tax-free - just another tool to consider!
The peaceful, quiet ranch lands of northeast Burnet County - where we live! - are being targeted for new developments, new homes, apartment complexes, businesses, new roads, highways, to attract & encourage growth.
Picture this nightmare: four-lane 80 mph Toll Loop 130 extends from I-35 over to Florence, and cuts westward through Northeast Burnet County - a huge outer loop around Austin, similar to Loop 6 and Loop 99 around Houston. Seems far-fetched now. but maybe not so much in 20 years.
It is inevitable. We need to be informed. Water shortages not only affect rural families, farmers, ranchers, but urban and suburban families as well. We must reach out to our legislators.
Growth benefits developers, realtors, brokers, taxing authorities, and hurts long time and new residents and land-owners, tax-payers, who are already experiencing a WATER CRISIS.
JUST SAY NO to developments which will jeopardize our ALREADY FRAGILE WATER SUPPLY.
PGMA - Priority Groundwater Management Area
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/groundwater/groundwater-planning-assessment/pgma.html#whatis
A PGMA) is an area designated and delineated by TCEQ that is experiencing, or is expected to experience, within 50 years, critical groundwater problems including shortages of surface water or groundwater, land subsidence resulting from groundwater withdrawal, or contamination of groundwater supplies.
What is our incentive to partner with Travis County or Williamson County on growth planning, as we watch our lands and our WATER disappear. How does this benefit our grandchildren.
NORTHEAST BURNET COUNTY TRANSPORTATION STUDY
Scroll to bottom of page for additional important Resources and Contacts
** The CTGCD web site contains very interesting maps, graphs, monitoring maps, and more
https://www.centraltexasgcd.org/
Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District
Click Here for District Rules as of LAST REVISED March 27, 2024
Will we be out of water in 30 years? or 50 years? or much sooner?
What we, as Burnet County Residents, can and should do. Educate yourself, neighbors, and family, and SPEAK OUT. Contacting State Officials is tedious and time consuming, but every phone call, every message left, every letter mailed, every email sent, every fax, helps. See above
If we as a Burnet County resident want to ensure the availability of groundwater for ourselves, our children and grandchildren we need to all work together to have more tools to deal with the effect of being a county near a large metro area.
Also, please think of what you can do to conserve groundwater and prevent waste. There is a limit to our resources, and we need to take groundwater conservation very seriously. Will it require running out of water to take it seriously?
Explore rainwater collection. You’ll be surprised how much can be collected. SCROLL DOWN FOR RAINWATER HARVESTING FACTS, TAX BENEFITS, FAQs
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Make this a county-wide effort by ALSO contacting your local leaders and related agencies.
County Commissioners, the entire County Commissioners Court [contact info below)
Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District https://www.centraltexasgcd.org/contact-us/
Burnet County Agri-Life https://burnet.agrilife.org/contact/
Emergency Services District Districts: https://www.burnetcountytexas.org/page/esd.home
Bertram Fire ESD#4 https://www.burnetcountytexas.org/page/esd.4
Briggs & Oakalla ESD #8 https://www.burnetcountytexas.org/page/esd.8
Local Fire Departments
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2023 Disappointing NEWS regarding new development, further jeopardizing our water
Approval of Estates at Dominion Ranch Subdivision - 210 lots on 996.426 acres
June 27, 2023 CLICK to view Meeting Minutes
Motion is made by: Commissioner Precinct 2 Damon Beierle, Seconded by: Commissioner Precinct 3 Billy Wall to approve the preliminary plat for The Estates at Dominion Ranch, a subdivision consisting of 210 lots on 996.426 acres located in the 6700 block of FM 2657.
Vote: 4 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
__________________________________________________________________________
The following is a personal comment based on facts:
Yet there are subdivisions being approved for development, with lots of 2 ac. or more, which will require wells on each one! While we, who are already here, are asked to reduce our water consumption 30%. If you have a glass of water and keep adding straws, drinking the water from the glass, eventually that glass will be empty. Our aquafers are not being replenished by rainwater as quickly as needed to keep up. We are in a drought and our area (according to specialist) is becoming more arid. Yet on smaller parcels of land, we continue to poke holes in the ground, sucking out the water from a shrinking aquafer. Laws need to be changed at the state level, then local. Unfortunately, that is unlikely anytime soon. But perhaps changes can be made in some other way.
Collecting rainwater is a wise decision. And perhaps necessary consideration. You would be surprised how much you can collect from an inch of rain. Even collecting the condensation from air conditioners can be used for watering plants, etc.
It is possible to collect over 5 gallons in two days from a unit only used during the daytime.
Consider the possibilities! - DC
WATER IS OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE
In Central Texas, we are in a multi-year drought which will take years to reverse. Groundwater supplies are critically fragile and are far behind on recharging.
Water shortages affect rural, urban, and suburban families - everyone
*** Will we be out of water in 20 or 30 years? or 50 years? or much sooner? ***
PLEASE Take a few minutes to WRITE THIS WEEK if you can
our State Leaders need to hear from thousands, not hundreds, of Burnet County Residents.
You can make a difference if you act ASAP, as recommended by our County Commissioners
WHO to CONTACT: our STATE LEADERS
WHAT to REQUEST: Ask that Burnet County become a PGMA. designated county.
Ask them to give Burnet County the legal means with which to better deal with development as we seek to conserve groundwater resources and prevent the waste of such a valuable resource.
What is a PGMA? Priority Groundwater Management Area
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/groundwater/groundwater-planning-assessment/pgma.html#whatis
A Priority Groundwater Management Area (PGMA) is an area designated and delineated by TCEQ that is experiencing, or is expected to experience, within 50 years, critical groundwater problems including shortages of surface water or groundwater, land subsidence resulting from groundwater withdrawal, or contamination of groundwater supplies.
HOW to CONTACT: snail mail, phone calls, email contact from within their websites
Texas State Senator Pete Flores- District 24
Committees: Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs , Border Security Vice-Chair, Criminal Justice Vice-Chair, Education, Finance,
Contact https://senate.texas.gov/member.php?d=24
PO Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711 Phone: 512-463-0124
Texas State Representative Ellen Troxclair-District 19
Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Kendall, Travis (part)
Committees: Community Safety, Select, Culture, Recreation & Tourism, Homeland Security & Public Safety, Sustainable Property Tax Relief, Select Study
Contact https://house.texas.gov/members/member-page/?district=19
PO Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768 Phone: 512-463-0490
Texas State Representative, Terry Wilson, Dist. 20 (our former rep*)
* Formerly was our state rep. and owns property in Burnet County
Committees Agriculture & Livestock , Defense & Veterans' Affairs - Chair
PO Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768; 512-463-0309
Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District
Read the Notice here: https://www.centraltexasgcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Stage-4-Critical-Drought-Without-Mandatory.pdf#page=1&zoom=auto,-222,797
PHDI from -4.00 to -4.99
Water Reduction Goal – 30%
Continue to encourage the practice of water conservation methods and reduce overall usage by 30%.
Links to Resources, Contacts:
Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District www.centraltexasgcd.org
Contacts: https://www.centraltexasgcd.org/contact-us/
Monthly Meetings & Minutes: https://www.centraltexasgcd.org/meetings-hearings/
TECQ Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/groundwater/groundwater-planning-assessment/pgma.html
Burnet County Commissioners contact info for each is listed down below
https://www.burnetcountytexas.org/page/commcourt.home
Texas State Senator Pete Flores- District 24
The Honorable Pete Flores Contact https://senate.texas.gov/member.php?d=24
PO Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711 Phone: 512-463-0124
Texas State Representative Ellen Troxclair-District 19
PO Box 2910 Contact https://house.texas.gov/members/member-page/?district=19
Austin, TX 78768 Phone: 512-463-0190
Texas State Representative, Terry Wilson, Dist. 20 (who formerly was our state rep. and owns property in Burnet County). PO Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768; 512-463-0309
Burnet County Commissioners
Precinct 1 Jim Luther, Jr. commissionerpct1@burnetcountytexas.org
m. 512-715-4112; 512-715-5233
Precinct 2 Damon Beierle dbeierle@burnetcountytexas.org
m. 512-715-2611; o. 512-585-8215
Damon: https://www.burnetcountytexas.org/page/comm.pct2
Damon:
Precinct 3 Billy Wall commissionerpct3@burnetcountytexas.org
m. 512-715-5236; 830-265-0483
Precinct 4 Joe Don Dockery jdockery@burnetcountytexas.org
m. 512-715-5235; 512-715-2911
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