Public meeting over Briggs-Oakalla groundwater management zone April 22
To address a growing strain on water supplies in the Briggs-Oakalla area in northeast Burnet County, the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District is hosting a public meeting at 2 p.m. April 22 in the Oakalla Community Center, 29011 RM 963. Officials will present findings on aquifer conditions and launch a stakeholder-driven process to explore creating a groundwater management zone in the water-poor region.
The Groundwater Conservation District is concentrating on the Briggs-Oakalla area, located within the Trinity Aquifer, due to increasing demands on a limited water supply. A management zone would allow the GCD to tailor rules and restrictions to protect groundwater in a high-need area rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach across all of Burnet County.
“There’s a lot of new demands on groundwater out in that Briggs area, and the groundwater district has been aware that there’s limited groundwater out there,” said GCD President and Precinct 2 Director Ryan Rowney. His precinct includes Briggs and Oakalla. “With all the demands from a limited resource, we feel like there’s gonna need to be some more action at some point on our behalf.”
The meeting is open to the public and will include presentations from GCD staff and consultants, including groundwater engineer Neil Deeds. Residents will be able to ask questions and provide feedback.
“We want folks to be engaged and hear what we’ve heard from our experts,” Rowney said. “The goal is to give folks a way to be involved.”
Proposed housing developments and industrial projects along the U.S. 183 corridor have contributed to the district’s concerns about long-term water availability in the Briggs-Oakalla area.
“The demands are coming from proposed developments, the Firefly ‘Rocket Ranch,’ and other industrial needs,” Rowney said. “In 10 or 15 years, there’s gonna be hundreds of homes out there that will need groundwater.”
No GCD board action will be taken at the April 22 meeting, but a quorum of directors could be present. Rowney emphasized that this is the beginning of a process, not a decision point.
“My hope is that no one will be surprised whenever the time comes for us to either make a decision or make no decision,” he said. “There is no set agenda at this point. We want to hear the facts, hear the science, hear people’s opinions, and then we’ll have to go from there.”
Details and a proposed stakeholder involvement plan related to a Briggs-Oakalla groundwater management zone can be found online. For more information, contact 512-756-4900 or district@centraltexasgcd.org.