The District’s staff has completed the renewal of the required management plan. Our management plan satisfies the requirements of SB 1, SB 2, HB 1763, the statutory requirements of Texas Water Code (TWC) Chapter 36, and the rules and requirements of the TWDB.

CUWCD recognizes that the groundwater resources of Bell County and the Central Texas region are of vital importance and that local management provides essential localized leadership, local discernment, local accountability, based on local oversite, and local expert understanding of the resource. Preservation of this most valuable resource can be managed in a prudent and cost effective manner through education, cooperation, and developing a comprehensive understanding of the aquifers. The greatest threat to CUWCD in achieving its stated mission is the misunderstanding of the resource by elected officials, property owners, and water users. Scientific understanding can support localized management of the groundwater resources, if the district continues to invest in science based research to bolster understanding of local conditions. CUWCD’s management plan is intended to serve as a tool to focus the thoughts and actions of those given the responsibility for the execution of the District’s activities.

Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), enacted by the 75th Texas Legislature in 1997, and Senate Bill 2 (SB 2), enacted by the 77th Texas Legislature in 2001, established a comprehensive statewide planning process and the actions necessary for districts to manage and conserve the groundwater resources of the state of Texas. These bills required all underground water conservation districts to develop a management plan which defines the water needs and supply within each district and the goals each district will use to manage the underground water in order to meet their needs. In addition, the 79th Texas Legislature enacted HB 1763 in 2005 that requires joint planning among districts that are in the same Groundwater Management Area (GMA). These districts must establish the desired future conditions of the aquifers within their respective GMAs. Through this process, the districts will submit the desired future conditions to the executive administrator of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) who will provide each district with the managed available groundwater in the management area based on the desired future conditions of the aquifers in the area. Technical information, such as the desired future conditions of the aquifers within the District’s jurisdiction and the amount of managed available groundwater from such aquifers is required to be included in the District’s management plan and will guide the District’s regulatory and management policies.

The current plan will expire on February 19, 2021.