Drought eases up on Burnet County groundwater
Adobe Stock image for illustrative purposes only.
After years of critical drought conditions in Burnet County, recent rains have turned the tide. On July 28, the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District reduced the county’s drought stage from its highest ranking of Stage 4-critical to the more moderate Stage 2.
The Board of the Directors for the district, which manages and regulates groundwater use in Burnet County, also lifted mandatory restrictions for large well owners that have been in place since 2022.
The drought stage change was attributed to significant rainfall and flooding in July, which brought some, but not total, relief to local aquifers.
“While this is a positive development, groundwater levels are still recovering from multiple years of below-average rainfall,” reads a Central Texas GCD media release issued Aug. 1. “Unlike surface water reservoirs that can respond rapidly to heavy rains, aquifers typically benefit from sustained, long-term wet conditions.”
Under Stage 2 restrictions, the district recommends that well owners voluntarily reduce their use by 10 percent, as opposed to Stage 4, which requests a 30 percent reduction.
Until the July 28 meeting, larger well users had mandatory restrictions, which kicked in for the first time ever in December 2022. Under those restrictions, Burnet County groundwater users with “non-exempt wells” (meaning they use more than a regular household’s worth of water annually) had their total permitted usage reduced by 15 percent until May 2024, when the mandatory reductions changed to 10 percent.
According to Central Texas GCD General Manager Mitchell Sodek, it will take more than a flood event, like what hit the Hill Country in early July, to completely restore local groundwater sources.
“By and large, (the recent rain) signals an improvement to Burnet County drought conditions,” Sodek told DailyTrib.com. “But groundwater needs longer periods of wet weather. (Flash floods) come on fast but then mostly run off. We have not had a wet winter in the last six years.”
Just as I thought. They would take most of the restrictions off of water use. That is why they need people that have lived in the country and made a living there. Yes, it had millions of gallons of run off. This did very little for the moisture in the ground. The Colorado River on 190 going to San Saba is looking about like it did before the floods. The springs and seeps that feed the rivers and creeks are not running like they should be. Can Mitch tell us how much the Trinity aquifer gained with all of this water? Also these other aquifers he is messing with which he has already stolen water from. Effects other counties as well. Where would people have been if it hadn’t flooded? It is unbelievable that the people running the water has no commonsense.