New Legislation Could Undo Water Protection Efforts By Local Representative

This bill will allow owners of land with 1,000 acres, which resides in two or more groundwater conservation districts, to request the parcel to be moved under one district.

by, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

In the 84^th legislative session, Rep. Jason Isaac, Senator Donna Campbell and Hays County Commissioner Will Conley worked together to propose several bills to save and protect local wells in Hays County.

During 2015, residents of Wimberley pushed local state representatives to stop a commercial groundwater pumping project. According to the Texas Tribune, the incident revealed a much wider issue.

Groundwater accounts for 60 percent of the 16.1 million acre-feet of water used in Texas.

In 2015, House Bill 3405 expanded the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer district to cover an unregulated Trinity Aquifer well. State Senator Campbell filed a companion bill in the state senate, Senate Bill 1440, to do the same.

Sen. Campbell also filed Senate Bill 1439 in companion to Rep. Isaac’s House Bill 3406, which expanded “the territory of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District” to “regulate wells of the Trinity Aquifer.”

Yesterday, March 28, Rep. Isaac sent out a press release condemning several bills filed by colleagues which could potential undo his and Sen. Campbell’s “save our wells bill” from the last legislative session.

Senate Bill 2254, filed by senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, could potentially allow Needmore Ranch Municipal Utilities to withdraw itself from both the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation district and the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District and behave as its own groundwater conservation district.

Sen. Hinojosa also filed Senate Bill 1814. This bill will allow owners of land with 1,000 acres, which resides in two or more groundwater conservation districts, to request the parcel to be moved under one district.

State Rep. Philip Cortez submitted House Bill 4045; the bill allows a groundwater district to issue a permit for “a parcel of land that contains greater than 1000 contiguous surface acres and is included in the territory of two or more groundwater conservation districts” without “notice or opportunity for a hearing” to or by the owner.

In his letter, Tuesday, Rep. Isaac said he was disappointed a few of his colleagues were “playing games with citizens of Hays County” and trying to undo past legislation for their own political gains.

“The people of Hays County have made it clear that keeping the groundwater we depend on plentiful and affordable is of the utmost importance,” Rep. Isaac said. “I will fight vehemently any attempts to undo the protections that were put in place last session as I work to protect the people I serve.”