With ‘extreme’ drought stage comes well restrictions
The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District on Dec. 20 officially moved Burnet County into an extreme drought stage and mandated a 15-percent reduction in groundwater usage for non-exempt well owners. The mandate will be in effect from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025.
The district can lift or change the restrictions earlier than the end of next year based on updated data and conditions.
The GCD is tasked with managing and protecting Burnet County’s groundwater resources, which are primarily made up of the Trinity Aquifer and Ellenburger-San Saba Aquifer. These geological formations store water underground and can be accessed via wells.
The district raised the county’s drought stage from “severe” to “extreme” based on the Palmer Hydrological Drought Index, which it uses as a guide to determine drought severity and set policy. The 15-percent water reduction for non-exempt well owners is based on data gathered from monitoring wells, which showed a direct correlation between drought conditions and groundwater levels.
“We’re seeing the impacts of these long-term droughts on our groundwater levels,” GCD General Manager Mitchell Sodek told DailyTrib.com.
The new water reduction measures apply to the district’s 168 largest water users, including municipalities like Burnet, Bertram, and Highland Haven as well as major industrial users. The mandatory reduction only applies to groundwater users with larger wells. It will not effect small-scale users.
The mandate includes an exemption for public water supply systems that can show proof of conservation efforts.
“An alternative is for (public water supply systems) to show they have implemented their own drought plan,” Sodek said during the public meeting Dec. 20. “That (plan) would be reviewed by the district as an alternative to the 15 percent off of the permitted total.”
The 15 percent reduction is consistent with previous years. In 2023 and 2024, the district initially enacted a 15 percent reduction during extreme drought conditions, which was later adjusted to 10 percent following heavy rainfall in early 2024. As drought conditions continue, the GCD has the authority to adjust water use reductions at any time based on real-time data.
Looking toward the future, the GCD is working to create management zones that would apply specific drought management plans to different areas of an aquifer rather than across the entire county. This would allow for more tailored strategies to ensure water use is managed efficiently across Burnet County.
“The goal is to have more localized drought triggers and plans based on the specific needs of different aquifers or management zones,” Sodek told DailyTrib.com. “This level of detailed management requires sophisticated data and analysis. It’s going to be years in the making, but that’s the ultimate goal.”
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Has the Ground Water District approved a well for the proposed rock crushing facility near Hoover Valley Road? They will use a lot of water for dust control.