February 2022 TAGD Business Meeting Progress at Southwestern Travis County GCD Brian Hunt, Director, SWTCGCD

1. Introduction to Southwestern
Travis County Groundwater
Conservation District
TAGD Winter 2022 Regular Business Meeting
February 8, 2022
Lane Cockrell, SWTCGCD General
Manager/Hydrogeologist

2. Outline
I. Background & Introduction
II.Regulatory Overview
III. Aquifer Science

3. SWTCGCD
Territory
Cross and Bluntzer, 1990

4. Milestones
1990 – Designated as PGMA
.
.
.
.
2017 – Enabling Legislation Passed (HB
4345)
Nov 2019 – Confirmed by Voters (74%)
Sept 2020 – Initial Management Plan
Approved, Initial Rules Adopted
Dec 2021- Rules Amended

5. District Overview
Governed by seven-member locally elected Board of Directors
◦ Rick Scadden, Tricia Davis, Jim Urie, TimVan Ackeren, Juli Hennings, Jim Dower, Brian Hunt
Current staff:
◦ Full-time General Manager/Hydrogeologist (Lane Cockrell)
◦ 3/4-time Regulatory Compliance Specialist (Virginia Smith)
◦ Paid internship
Fee-based; No taxing authority; Initial financial assistance from Travis County
Primary focus: implementing regulatory program  registering and permitting existing
wells
◦ Outreach efforts in progress

6. Wells and Pumping
• Over 2,500 wells drilled in SWTCGCD since
2003 (TWDB SDR Database); few registered
with GCD to date.
• Many wells pre-date SDR Database
• Estimated 4,400 ac-ft/yr pumped
From Hunt et al., 2020

7. Exempt Wells
Few restrictions, no meter or production fees, but must be registered.
•Exempt domestic wells are defined as those that can produce no more than 10,000 gallons per
day (approx. 7 gpm).
•Exempt domestic and livestock wells on properties larger than 10 acres are defined as those that
can produce no more than 25,000 gallons per day (approx. 17 gpm).
•Other exempt use types: fire suppression, monitoring, geothermal, supply for O&G drilling
operations

8. Non-exempt Wells
Subject to District rules (fees, meters, drought curtailments etc.)
1. General Permit by Rule
Types of wells:
◦ Non-exempt Domestic Use: >7 gpm capacity (many are
domestic irrigation wells)
◦ Limited Production: Non-exempt use types with <7 gpm
capacity AND <1,000,000 gallons annually (small
businesses)
◦ Test Wells
Permit details:
◦ 5-yr permit term
◦ Subject to drought curtailments and other rules
◦ No production fees
◦ No public hearing required
◦ Streamlined aquifer-testing requirements
2. Operating Permit
Types of wells:
◦ PWS
◦ Irrigation
◦ Commercial
◦ Agricultural
Permit details:
◦ 1-yr permit term
◦ Subject to drought curtailments and other rules
◦ Production fees on metered use: $0.20/1,000gal
◦ Board review and public hearing required
◦ Tiered aquifer testing requirements, based on annual
volume

9. Groundwater Conservation and Protection
DROUGHT
MANAGEMENT
CRITICAL GROUNDWATER
DEPLETION AREA
TWDB Drought Monitor (meteorological)
10-40% drought curtailments
From Gary et al., 2019.
MANAGEMENT ZONES
Framework for geographic and
stratigraphic designations

10. Outline
I. Background & Introduction
II. Regulatory Overview
III. Aquifer Science

11. Geologic
Setting
From Hunt et al., 2020; Geologic units shown are derived from the Geologic Atlas of Texas
(GAT) from Barnes (1981) and Proctor et al. (1974). Digital GIS data from Pearson (2007).

12. Schematic
Cross Section
From Hunt et. al., 2020.

13. Science-Driven Policy
Current Management Informed by Best-Available Science
◦ Hydrogeologic Atlas of Southwest Travis County (Hunt et al., 2020)
Establishing Groundwater Monitoring Network
◦ Lakeside Park Monitoring Well
◦ New instrumented and periodic monitoring sites
Supporting Current UT BEG/Travis Co. Studies (Hamilton Pool & Reimer’s Ranch
Sourcewater Protection Study, and the Bee Creek Fault Zone)
◦ Help guide management strategies to protect springflow and aquifers
◦ Help identify potential management zones

14. Groundwater Depletion
Hunt et al., 2020

15. Trinity Aquifer
Regional
Drawdown
From George et al., 2011 (TWDB Report 310)

16. Lakeside Park Monitoring Well

17. Dr. Jeff Paine, UT-BEG
Bee Creek Fault Zone Studies
Fault Plane

18. Future Work
•Register, permit, and inventory wells
•Expand groundwater monitoring network and aquifer characterization data
•Consider the UT-BEG/Travis Co. groundwater study for Hamilton Pool area.
•Develop numerical groundwater model for entire District
•Explore potential connection to regional depletion in Trinity aquifers north of
Colorado River
•Investigate dynamics of SW/GW interactions
•Refine management strategies and planning (CGDAs, MAGs, DFCs)

19. Acknowledgements
• SWTCGCD Board
• Travis County Commissioners
•Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources
• University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology
• Well owners and stakeholders
• Neighboring GCDs

20. Questions or
Comments?
Contact Lane Cockrell at
generalmanager@swtcgcd.org