WATER ISSUES IN WATER ISSUES IN MONTGOMERY COUNTYMONTGOMERY COUNTY

Montgomery County:• one of the top 25 fastest growing counties in U.S.• 5th fastest growing county in Texas• water supply almost exclusively groundwater• experienced 52% growth over the past decade• projected to have a population of 1M people by 2040

• Created in 2001 by the 77th Legislature to protect and manage the groundwater resources of Montgomery County

• Creation confirmed by popular vote on Nov 6, 2001 with 73.85 % approval

• Boundaries include a total area of just over 1,000 square miles

• Hybrid Appointed / Elected Board

• No taxing authority; funded by user fees

Who is the LSGCD?Who is the LSGCD?

Montgomery County

The long term sustainable recharge of the aquifer is about 64,000 acre-ft a year.

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2011 water level survey – Evangeline (5 yr)

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2011 water level survey – Jasper (10 yr)

Baseline Run: Drawdown for Evangeline: 2000 to Baseline Run: Drawdown for Evangeline: 2000 to 20502050

Dry Cells

Baseline Run: Drawdown for Jasper: 2000 to Baseline Run: Drawdown for Jasper: 2000 to 20502050

2040 Demand estimated

at 154,000 a-f/year

Estimated GW in MontgomeryCounty (TWDB) 64,000 a-f/year

Will exceed the sustainable recharge rateWill exceed the sustainable recharge rateof the aquifer by almost 90,000 a-f/year!of the aquifer by almost 90,000 a-f/year!

How much can be pumped?How much can be pumped?

Who should be regulated?Who should be regulated?

When should regulations When should regulations be put into effect?be put into effect?

District RulesDistrict Rules• Developed 2001 and 2002

• Tailored to profile of our user groups

• 77% PWS/Commercial; 13% golf course; 7% industrial; 3% ag irrigation • Set up Historic Use Permit claims process • Contemplated sustainability and pro-rata reductions if necessary

The Problem? The Problem? We’re using too much We’re using too much

groundwater and our groundwater and our aquifers are being aquifers are being

depleted.depleted.

The Challenge? The Challenge? Reduce groundwater Reduce groundwater

pumpage pumpage to 70% of 2009 to 70% of 2009 levels by 2016!levels by 2016!

As of December 2009, approximately 95,000 acre-feet per year, authorized for production from Gulf Coast aquifer.• 87,000 acre-feet per year through permits issued by the District. • About 7,700 acre-feet of groundwater from exempted sources

 

This exceeds the currently recognized sustainable yield of the Gulf Coast aquifer by 31,000 acre-feet.

In 2006, Phase I - District Regulatory Plan (DRP) - benchmark for reduction by requiring total groundwater production to be reduced to 64,000 acre-feet or less annually by January 1, 2015.

DRP – Phase 1DRP – Phase 1

In February 2008, the District adopted Phase II (A) of the DRP to ensure that water producers and users in the District were making incremental progress toward compliance with the 2015 groundwater reduction requirement.  

Phase II (A):Phase II (A):

• defined a Large Volume Groundwater Users (LVGU) to be any non-exempt and non-agricultural groundwater producer producing or authorized to produce 10 million gallons (92% of total permitted production in Montgomery County).

• and it required LVGUs to submit a Water Resources Assessment Plan to the District.

DRP - Phase II (A)DRP - Phase II (A)

Large Volume Groundwater Users =Large Volume Groundwater Users =

• Single well/combination of wells that pump more than 10 million gallons/year

• NOT single family residences

• NOT agricultural users

In its continuing conversion effort, the District adopted Phase II(B) of the District Regulatory Plan on November 10, 2009, containing the District’s primary regulatory requirements for achieving sustainability of the Gulf Coast Aquifer by reducing groundwater dependency within Montgomery County.

Phase II(B) requires each LVGU in the District to reduce its groundwater production by 2016 to a volume that does not exceed 70 percent of its Total Qualifying Demand.

DRP - Phase II (B)DRP - Phase II (B)

• Total Qualifying Demand (TQD) is the volume of groundwater that it was authorized under the terms of a District-issued permit to produce in calendar year 2009.

• By 2016 – Groundwater production must be reduced by 30 percent of TQD (i.e. 30 percent of an LVGU’s Total Qualifying Demand must be met using conservation, an Alternative Water Source, or a combination of both approaches to curb the demand).

Total Qualifying DemandTotal Qualifying Demand

A Groundwater Reduction Plan (GRP) represents the specific plan that each LVGU will follow in order to meet it’s Initial Conversion Obligation. These plans were due to the District by April 1, 2011.

There are two types of plans:

•Single-GRP – a GRP submitted by an LVGU that intends to meet its Initial Conversion Obligation solely on its own.

•Joint-GRP – a GRP submitted by one or more LVGUs that have contractually agreed to abide by its terms, that includes all requisite information for each participating LVGU that would otherwise be required of the LVGU if it was submitting an individual GRP, and that allows the participating LVGU’s to achieve the Initial Conversion Obligation as a group rather than as individuals.

Groundwater Reduction Groundwater Reduction PlansPlans

One Joint-GRP represents 70% of Groundwater – San Jacinto River Authority

All Joint-GRP’s combined total 90-plus percent of Montgomery County water

An Alternative Water Source includes any water other than water produced from the Gulf Coast Aquifer within Montgomery County or any county that adjoins Montgomery County.

Alternative Water SourceAlternative Water Source

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2011 water level survey

The Catahoula Aquifer Formation:The Catahoula Aquifer Formation:• North Montgomery County = fresh water• South Montgomery County = salty/brackish/unusable water

ALL ONE FORMATION

Our region and economic future depends upon our ability to solve these water resource challenges.

THANK YOU FOR COMING!!