Proposal for Northeast Texas' groundwater management open for comment

By KERRY CRAIG | Sulphur Springs News-Telegram

November 11, 2001 -- Three public hearings are planned for November by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) on proposed rules to designate a groundwater management area in Northeast Texas.

The hearings have been set in response to a petition submitted earlier this year by Save Our Springs of Northeast Texas, Inc., on behalf of 57 Wood County landowners.

There are 27 counties that would be included in the proposed groundwater management area.

Concerns about ground water, water from wells, were expressed in late August by A. D. Kleinman, representing Save Our Springs of North East Texas (SOSONET).

"My main concern right now, since Senate Bill 2 came out, is the water in East Texas is very important to a lot of other people," Kleinman said to the Hopkins County Commissioners. "We want to be able to control our water with local people."

Under terms of Senate Bill 2, if a ground water conservation district in place by 2007, the state will establish one that will be operated in Austin by people in Austin.

"If you have a problem with your water, you would have to go to Austin," he said. "What we are trying to do is to get a ground water conservation district for Wood County. What I have been doing is going around to the surrounding counties to tell and inform them of what is going on so they can decide if they want to start a ground water conservation district, they will have about a year to do it. That way they can join with us and we can have a five, or six county district, which helps everybody as far as cost, handling the water around us.

Kleinman said the main concern of SOSONET is education. The grass-roots organization already has more than 500 members who are trying to alert the counties surrounding Wood County.

Designation of the proposed groundwater management area will define the boundaries for the coordination of groundwater management planning of the Carrizo-Wilcox, Queen City, Sparta and Yegua-Jackson aquifers and other groundwater resources in the area.

Designation of a groundwater management area does not create a groundwater management district or ensure that a district will be created. The area's delineation, however, is a prerequisite to the creation of such districts.

Under Texas rule of capture, Kleinman said, in the absence of a groundwater conservation district, any landowner can pump as much water as they are capable of pumping, as long as it's not wasted.

With the advent of new technology and rapid population growth in nearby urban areas, rural areas could easily see situations develop to the point where the "biggest pump" use rule of capture is used to take more than their fair share.

Another potential are those people who buy land solely for the water under it.

Areas where no groundwater conservation districts exist are particularly vulnerable to having the groundwater exploited.

"Groundwater conservation districts level the playing field among users of the same resource - water," Kleinman said.

The public meetings will address the proposed groundwater management area in the following counties:

Anderson, Angelina, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Houston, Marion, Morris, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smth, Titus, Trinity, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood.

The first TNRCC hearing will be in Quitman in the Carroll Green Civic Center Monday, Nov. 12, at 2 p.m. A second hearing will be held in the Regional Training and Development Center in Tyler at 6 p.m. that same day. The third hearing will be Tuesday, Nov. 13, in the Nacogdoches City Council Commission Chambers at 1 p.m.

Persons wishing to submit written comments may submit them to Patricia Duron, Office of Environmental Policy, Analysis and Assessment, MC 205, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, TX 78711-3087, or faxed to 512-239-4808.

All comments must be received by TNRCC no later than 5 p.m., Dec. 10.