Groundwater Conservation District passes new tax rate, amends high-use water permit

The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors passed a new tax rate for fiscal year 2022-23 during its regular meeting Monday, Sept. 12, at 225 S. Pierce St. in Burnet. The board also amended the groundwater use permit of Deer Springs Water Company after years of back-and-forth between the company and the district.

The new tax rate of $0.0057 per $100 evaluation is a slight increase from the no-new-revenue value of $0.0056 per $100 evaluation. 

Because the new rate is below the voter approval rate of $0.0063 cents per $100 evaluation, it did not require a public vote to be approved.

The district board chose to raise the tax rate in response to increased operating costs and workload due to growth in Burnet County. 

“Expenses are going up, everything is going up,” said board President Ryan Rowney.

The board also approved an amendment to the groundwater use permit for Deer Springs Water Company, raising its permitted annual water use from 24.5 acre-feet to 41.28 acre-feet.

Deer Springs Water Company provides water to the Deer Springs subdivision in western Burnet County and violated the terms of its permit in 2018 and 2019, when it went over its annual groundwater usage. The company either had to reduce its usage, which was not possible due to the number of homes in the subdivision, or have its permit amended. 

After two years of negotiations, the permit has finally been amended, bringing Deer Springs Water Company back into compliance.

The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District is a tax-collecting government entity responsible for regulating the groundwater of Burnet County. Regulation is done through high-use well permitting, research, and setting drought stages.

dakota@thepicayune.com