(soothing acoustic guitar)
- [Voiceover] Historically, groundwater in Texas
has been governed by the rule of capture,
which grants landowners the right
to pump the water beneath their property.
The rule of capture allows any landowner
to pump whatever they can,
even if it results in drying up the neighbor's well.
Whoever has the biggest pump,
and the deepest well,
can keep on drawing down the water level,
sometimes leaving neighboring landowners high and dry.
However, the landowner must use the water
for a beneficial purpose,
and cannot waste the water.
Unlimited pumping of groundwater
could eventually affect the longevity of Texas aquifers.
Without proper groundwater stewardship,
Texas water costs would rise,
land could subside in some areas,
water quality could degrade,
and people in some areas could run out of water.
- [Voiceover] In response to these potential problems,
Texas Legislature authorized
groundwater conservation districts to manage pumping.
A groundwater conservation district
can be formed by citizens
to jointly manage their groundwater resources.
A district has the local authority to set rules
for conserving, protecting, recharging,
and preventing waste of groundwater.
For instance, it can establish pumping limits,
and spacing between wells.
Landowners and other stakeholders
work together on governing their district.
Today groundwater conservation districts
are legally recognized as the preferred
groundwater management method in Texas.
Some districts are composed of one county,
or even a portion of a county.
However, a larger groundwater conservation district
may contain all, or parts of, as many as 14 counties.
At the beginning of 2013
there were a total of 99 confirmed districts in Texas.
- [Voiceover] Stakeholders manage their groundwater resource
by first asking themselves the question,
"What do we want our aquifer to look like
"in 10, 20, or 50 years?"
The answer to this question is the Desired Future Condition.
A Desired Future Condition
is a set of measurable targets
that are related to the groundwater budget.
Examples of Desired Future Conditions
include acceptable average water level declines,
maintaining spring flow levels,
and preserving aquifer storage volumes.
Once the Desired Future Condition is adopted,
the district develops management policies
such as setting pumping limits to achieve each target.
The Texas Water Development Board
provides important technical knowledge resources
for the districts.
The board works with the districts
to analyze Desired Future Conditions,
and calculate the amount of groundwater
that may be produced on an average annual basis
to achieve those desired conditions.
This amount of water
is known as Modeled Available Groundwater.
In 1998, the board initiated
the Groundwater Availability Modeling Program
to develop computer models for all major
and minor aquifers in Texas.
These models are used by the board
to estimate Modeled Available Groundwater
for the districts and for planning purposes.
The models are by no means black boxes
that are indecipherable to the public.
Each model was developed in a partnership
between stakeholders and scientists.
The stakeholders supply local information on the aquifer
such as pumping test data,
and groundwater demands to use as model inputs.
The Texas Water Development Board
conducts public meetings to communicate model assumptions,
and explain model results to the stakeholders.
Stakeholders may also submit petitions to the board
if they question the reasonableness
of a Desired Future Condition.
- [Voiceover] Groundwater planning
does not end at the local or county level.
The management policies in one district
can impact another district,
especially if they are using the same aquifer.
For instance, a district that raises its pumping limits
can draw down not only its own water table,
but also that of its neighboring district.
To facilitate aquifer level planning,
the Texas Water Development Board
used the boundaries of major aquifers
and political regions
to define 16 groundwater management areas throughout Texas.
The agency reviews the Desired Future Conditions
within each management area
to ensure that they do not conflict each other.
Meanwhile, every five years,
each of the state's 16 planning groups
adopt a regional water plan.
Then the following year,
the state of Texas incorporates these plans
into a state water plan
to serve as a guide to state water policy.
The state water plan compiles and projects
the water needs of all water user groups:
homes, cities, farmers, factories,
ranchers, miners, and power companies.
The plan is submitted to the governor,
and the Legislature of Texas,
and includes recommendations on water projects
to meet water demands 50 years into the future.
Within the plan, all sources of water,
surface, groundwater,
and new technology such as desalination are considered
as well as the effects of water conservation.
- [Voiceover] Estimates of Modeled Available Groundwater
form the basis for how much groundwater
is available to use now,
and throughout the planning horizon.
Through the Groundwater Availability Modeling Program,
local, regional, and state groups
are using local knowledge,
scientific know-how,
and policy expertise to provide clear,
in-depth, and science-based guidance
for management of Texas groundwater resources.