Groundwater Management in Texas: A Critical Review of the State's Framework

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has highlighted the critical importance of groundwater management in Texas, a state where over half of the water supply is provided by this invisible yet essential resource. According to Vanessa Puig-Williams, senior director of EDF's Texas Water Program, current Texas law does not give groundwater conservation districts (GCDs) sufficient authority or mandates to sustainably manage groundwater and ensure its availability for communities, farmers, ranchers, and the environment in the long term.

Key Takeaways:

• Groundwater is the lifeblood of Texas, providing over half of the state's water supply, over 30% of the water in rivers and creeks, approximately 80% of the water used for agriculture, and is often the sole source of water for rural communities and landowners.
• Current Texas law does not give GCDs sufficient authority or mandates to sustainably manage groundwater and ensure its availability for communities, farmers, ranchers, and the environment in the long term.
• Local GCDs have the difficult task of regulating a shared resource that is also privately owned, but the state's hands-off regulatory approach may have sufficiently protected groundwater when Texas had a smaller population and less demand for water.
• The state is growing by more than 1,200 people a day, and large groundwater production projects will impact other groundwater users, necessitating more robust, science-based regulations.
• Increased pressure on groundwater resources across the state calls for the Legislature to give GCDs clear authority to cap groundwater production when certain conditions are met.

Statistics:

• Over 50% of Texas' water supply comes from groundwater.
• 30% of water in Texas' rivers and creeks comes from groundwater.
• 80% of water used for agriculture in Texas comes from groundwater.
• The state is growing by over 1,200 people per day.
• 1,200 people - number of new Texas residents per day.

Sources:

• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
• Texas House Committee on Natural Resources
• Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District
• Texas Water Development Board