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The city of Bertram is trying to expand its annual groundwater allowance to spur development, but groundwater officials in Burnet County want to see how neighboring landowners would be impacted before additional water is approved. 

Bertram’s water supply is totally dependent upon two large wells on County Road 340 just outside of Burnet. The city wants to increase its annual allowable groundwater use from 792 acre-feet to 895 acre-feet. 

During a May 23 public hearing and meeting on the matter, the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District Board of Directors voted to require Bertram to conduct a hydrogeologic study to determine if an increase would harm neighboring wells. 

“What the board needs to understand in order to grant this permit is: Will the wells in the permit unreasonably affect surrounding landowners and well owners?” district General Manager Mitchell Sodek told DailyTrib.com. “That’s the question we’re trying to answer through this hydrogeologic investigation.”

Sodek recommended the study, telling the district’s board this would be a first. The study would include pumping each well for 24 hours and measuring the drawdown at surrounding wells on neighboring properties.

Bertram City Administrator Georgina Hernandez told DailyTrib.com the request for more water was due to incoming developments. The city of roughly 2,000 residents is expecting a full build-out of two developments, which will bring 500 new homes. 

Right now, Bertram does not use all of its 792 acre-feet of water. About 400 acre-feet services 1,100 customers inside and outside of the city, according to Hernandez. However, once the new subdivisions are complete, the city will approach its current maximum annual allotment.

“The only reason why a city would ask for more water is for growth,” Hernandez said. “With the new subdivisions that are coming in, we knew we’d have to increase our groundwater permit.”

Bertram’s groundwater use permit more than doubled in January 2023 when it acquired 426 acres of additional groundwater rights to accommodate expected growth.

Hernandez expressed frustration with the process, stating that the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District, which manages groundwater in Burnet County, seemed to be “moving the finish line” when it came to permit approval. Bertram has the needed groundwater rights, and its wells are capable of producing the requested amount. 

Now, Hernandez said, the district is requiring a potentially costly and time-consuming study.

The current cost of a study is unknown, but the district has offered to pay for a portion of it through an interlocal agreement once Bertram selects a consultant.

“We’re not saying we expect anything negative to show up in the study, but that’s the whole purpose of doing it: to ensure that we protect those other well owners’ interests as well,” Sodek said.

dakota@thepicayune.com