The Texas Groundwater Protection Committee
By Ric Jensen
Working to safeguard groundwater quality and conserve groundwater for future users are the goals of the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee (TGPC).
The committee was created by the Texas Legislature in 1989. It has no regulatory authority, but works with existing state agencies, academic institutions and groundwater districts to encourage groundwater protection. The focus is to help coordinate the development and implementation of statewide policies and projects that ensure groundwater quality is not degraded.
The committee has the responsibility to compile data from state agencies and groundwater districts about identified cases of groundwater contamination. This information is provided to state officials, state and federal agencies and local governments.
Because of the committee’s coordinating role, the legislature directed the TGCP to include representatives from several state agencies. The committee is chaired by a representative of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the vice chairman is a staff member of the Texas Water Development Board. Other agencies represented on the TGPC board include the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, Railroad Commission of Texas, Texas Department of Health and Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation water well driller and pump installer program.
Reports published by the committee include the state groundwater protection strategy, results of monitoring and assessments of groundwater contamination and a landowner’s guide to plugging abandoned wells. The committee was also instrumental in the development of the state’s pesticide management plan for groundwater.
Much of the committee’s work is accomplished through subcommittees that focus on research needs, public education, agricultural chemicals, legislative issues and data management. The committees identify needed projects and sources of funding to support these activities.
Recently supported activities include:
- TGPC facilitated a project for collecting data on the occurrence of atrazine in the state’s aquifers. The committee’s atrazine work includes both data collection and assessment of groundwater in aquifers of the Texas Panhandle.
- Project by Drs. Dana Porter and Monty Dozier of Texas Cooperative Extension to educate agricultural producers about best management practices to prevent atrazine contamination of groundwater in the High Plains.
- Design of an enhanced statewide strategy to obtain data on groundwater quality led by Lynne Fahlquist of the United States Geological Survey. The network will build upon existing groundwater monitoring programs.
- Publication of fact sheets about wellhead protection developed by Drs. Dozier and Dennis Hoffman, Blackland Research and Extension Center at Temple, Texas.
- Programs led by Drs. Dozier and Bruce Lesikar of Texas Cooperative Extension to demonstrate how to plug abandoned groundwater wells.
To learn more, visit the committee’s home page at http://www.tgpc.state.tx.us.
