County hears water supply and facilities planning study
Sally Sexton, Weatherford Democrat, Texas
5 min read
Apr. 27—A recent draft of a regional water supply and facilities planning study revealed what many were already aware of — an unsustainable demand on groundwater across the region, Parker County commissioners heard Monday.
Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District General Manager Doug Shaw said the roughly 100-page report detailed the demands within the study area, which includes Parker and Wise counties; evaluated future water supply solutions and laid propositions of a potential implementation guide for more sustainable future.
Shaw said they looked at Census blocks and tracks, meeting with water providers, city leaders and developers to get an idea of what was coming, what was planned and where growth was going to occur.
The study noted a projected jump from 263,300 total water users (a combination of municipalities, water districts, water supply corporations, investor-owned utilities and rural water users) in 2030 to 874,800 by 2080, with demand projects ranging from 43 million gallons per day in 2030 to 143.4 MGD in 2080.
"It's showing what we already know ... it's growing, and it's growing a lot," Shaw said. "You see some of these big developments coming in and they're planning on drilling wells. Long-term, they're going to have to look at something else. It's going to be an interim thing."
The GM pointed to Hood County's Acton Municipal Utility District, formed years ago completely on groundwater, which is now spending money shifting into getting water from Lake Granbury because water well levels have fallen more than 100 feet in some areas.
"It's a good example of what happens over time when you're pumping lots of groundwater in concentrated developments and community," he said.
The study noted potentially feasible water management strategies moving forward, including additional groundwater from brackish groundwater (which requires desalination to make it drinkable); purchasing treated water from Fort Worth, Mineral Wells, Parker County Special Utilities District, Walnut Creek SUD or Weatherford; treating raw surface water via the Brazos River Authority or Turkey Peak Reservoir; and using aquifer storage and recovery, rainwater harvesting or other conservation methods.
"In the long-term, if folks understood about collecting rainwater, that would help a lot, but that takes a large number of people to make any significant difference," Shaw said. "If all the people projected are coming and we did nothing, you could be looking at up to a 50-million gallon a day shortage by 2080."
Precinct 1 Commissioner George Conley made mention of numerous monitored wells throughout the county.
"Do you have any written data that the water table is dropping?" he asked.
Shaw noted the table is dropping "at a steady pace," particularly closer to drilling sites. Of the monitor wells, he said 80 percent were drilled within the last decade, adding that the numbers on some of the older wells could be due to a number of problems.
"The thing we avoid is what the actual problem is — it's not the household use of water, it's the irrigation," Precinct 3 Commissioner Larry Walden said, adding that he was informed the county cannot regulate irrigation.
"Unfortunately on private, domestic use, our limitation falls solely with up until the well is drilled. Once that's done, as long as they're not committing waste, basically letting water just run down the bar ditch ... there's not much we can do," Shaw said.
County Attorney John Forrest reiterated the lack of control county officials had on the matter, noting the roadblocks are "with the laws, and the Texas water laws go back a long ways."
Shaw estimated 60-70 percent of total water use is used outdoors for lawns, not agriculture, and that many of the developments may be completely unaware of how much water they are using.
"If you're sitting there with that well, you're not getting a monthly reminder of how much water you're using," Shaw said. "Some folks probably have no idea. They've got their sprinkler system set, and it's going off while they're asleep."
Parker County is at the top when it comes to permitted wells drilled in Texas, with around 12,000 active wells permitted since 2009, when registration became mandatory. Last year, 1,500 were drilled.
"Household use is about 140 gallons a day," Forrest said. "So you do the math."
Shaw acknowledged Walden's comment that the vast majority relies on wells, estimating it at about 75 percent.
He also referenced a meeting next week planned with developers of a 2,500-acre subdivision in East Parker County.
"Those folks are going to pump a lot of groundwater, and that's an area where right now, there's not a lot of groundwater production," Shaw said.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Mike Hale, who governs East Parker County, said he's gotten numerous phone calls regarding similar issues, and asked whether the UTGCD had any bearing on municipal utility districts being formed.
"We are not involved in the approval of a MUD," Shaw said. "Those are done in Austin, through legislation, through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality..."
Precinct 2 Commissioner Jacob Holt suggested an incentive to those who choose to have their well monitored and drop their usage to conform to guidelines established by Upper Trinity or some other entity, and offering them some sort of property tax relief in return.
"We are not a tax-based district," Shaw said. "If we were, I think that would be easy. But it's something worth exploring and discussion worth having [with state lawmakers]."
