Category: News
Trinity Aquifer in Bell County Being Over Used!
Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District General Manager, Dirk Aaron, is concerned about the Trinity Aquifer and the considerable drawdown being experienced in three significant regions of Bell County. Those rural areas that count on the Middle (Hensell) Trinity Aquifer as their sole source of household water are the River Ridge Ranch Development, Hidden Springs Development, and the Stillman Valley Community that includes parts of Youngsport.
District staff completed the quarterly static water level measurements of monitor wells this past month and has found some very disturbing facts relative to the Trinity Aquifer. Aaron said, “Couple these disturbing drawdowns of the Trinity Aquifer and the fact that we are moving into the driest season of the year, confirms the need for rural well owners to take action and stop their excessive use of groundwater for extreme landscapes. Keep in mind the Trinity Aquifer does not have a recharge zone that could quickly replenish the aquifer and that area of recharge is farther to the west and northwest of Bell County than most people realize. We know most regions of Texas, because of the epic drought, have not received enough rainfall in the last three years to replenish the aquifer. When adequate rainfall returns, it will be years before that rainfall makes its way to the Middle Trinity Aquifer. Currently, Clearwater has registered over 1946 domestic wells in the Trinity Aquifer, and a majority of these wells are the sole source water for most parts of West and Southwest portions of Bell County.
Commissioner Staples Launches New Online Tool to Connect Texans to Statewide Water, Drought Resources
AUSTIN — Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples has launched “The Water Source,” a new online tool to serve as a one-stop information portal for Texans to learn various facts about the ongoing drought, statewide water resources and disaster assistance.
“‘The Water Source’ is a comprehensive site that compiles helpful data and facts on water resources from various agencies and organizations,” Commissioner Staples said. “With so many valuable resources for water information, bringing many of them together in one place will help Texans easily access the specifics about our water situation.”
Texas Governor Signs Bill Key to $2 Billion Water Plan
(Reuters) – Texas Governor Rick Perry on Tuesday signed into law a bill creating a fund to finance water infrastructure projects in a state suffering from two years of widespread drought.
The measure, which was overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature, sets up a system for Texas to provide loans for projects such as reservoirs, wells and conservation efforts. Lawmakers passed a separate proposal to draw $2 billion from the state’s rainy-day fund to help finance the loans.
Texas voters will be asked this fall to approve the creation of the water fund.
Texas Well Owner Network
Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District is excited to be involved in the education of responsible well ownership. We have partnered with the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension services to bring this great opportunity to Bell County. The program is scheduled for June 20, 2013 and will be held on the new campus of Texas A&M University – Central Texas located at 1001 Leadership Place in Killeen, Texas.
Drought Concerns in Bell County
Clearwater UWCD is concerned about the deteriorate conditions of the Trinity and Edwards Aquifers in Bell County due to the drought.
We have been monitoring both the Trinity and Edwards BFZ Aquifers for more than six years and have great concern that the epic drought conditions have not subsided and conditions could possible get worse in the months to come. We measure the health of the Edwards Aquifer in three different ways and with two of those being triggers for drought awareness. The first trigger is rainfall measurement based on a 365 day running total. The second being the spring flow measurements at the complex of springs in downtown Salado that contribute to the Salado Creek as they diffuse water from the aquifer into the creek. We also monitor more than seven wells and have fourteen wells at our disposal to measure static water levels and drawdown.
