Groundwater Management Areas
Groundwater management areas were created "in order to provide for the conservation, preservation, protection, recharging, and prevention of waste of the groundwater, and of groundwater reservoirs or their subdivisions, and to control subsidence caused by withdrawal of water from those groundwater reservoirs or their subdivisions, consistent with the objectives of Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, groundwater management areas may be created..." (Texas Water Code §35.001) Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 933, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.
The responsibility for Groundwater Management Area delineation was delegated to the Texas Water Development Board. (Section 35.004, Chapter 35, Title 2, Texas Water Code)
The initial Groundwater Management Area delineations were adopted on December 15, 2002, and are modified as necessary according to agency rules. (356.21, TWDB Rules)
There are 16 groundwater management areas in Texas. All groundwater conservation districts are part of at least one groundwater management area. Click below for more information on each groundwater management area:
Regional Water Planning
Groundwater management areas appoint groundwater conservation district representatives to serve on regional water planning groups. In July 2024, the TWDB hosted an orientation meeting for regional water planning group groundwater management area representatives. The meeting presentation covered an overview of the groundwater management area joint planning process and regional water planning process timelines, how information from each of the processes is considered, roles of representatives, and an update on planning activities.
General Groundwater Publications
| ID | Date | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 SWP | 1/5/2012 | General Interest | 2012 State Water Plan |
| R-380 | 7/1/2011 | TWDB numbered report | Aquifers of Texas |
| R-361 | 6/1/2004 | TWDB numbered report | Conference Proceedings: 100 Years of Rule of Capture: From East to Groundwater Management |
| R-189 | 3/1/1975 | TWDB numbered report | Major and Historical Springs of Texas |
| R-379 | 7/1/2011 | TWDB numbered report | Changes in Water Levels in Texas, 1995-2005 |
| R-347 | 8/1/2001 | TWDB numbered report | Surveys of Irrigation in Texas - 1958, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989. 1994 and 2000. |
| HA-07 | 1/1/1996 | Hydrologic atlas | Areas Experiencing Significant Groundwater Decline, 1985-1995 |
| B-5914 | 12/1/1959 | Groundwater bulletin | A Study of Droughts in Texas |
| TWC-89-01 | 3/1/1989 | General Interest | Ground Water Quality of Texas - An Overview of Natural and Man-Affected Conditions |
| LP-192 | 12/1/1983 | Limited Publication | Climatic Atlas of Texas |
| USGS Open File Report 2005-1270 | 1/1/2005 | General Interest | Bibliography of Ground-Water References for All 254 Counties in Texas, 1886-2001 |