In Texas, the management of domestic drinking water wells is the responsibility of the landowners, which can create questions about how to protect well water quality and quantity, as well as how to deal with drought and other issues. The Texas Well Owners Network (TWON) provides landowners with answers. “The TWON program is the groundwater quality education…

There are two main parts of the complex, multi-faceted process that is groundwater administration in Texas: the management side and the planning side. It’s the intersection of the two that is presenting some potential hiccups as the 2017 state water plan is being compiled, according to experts.   Texas groundwater management history Beginning with the…

By Leslie Lee Why would San Antonio residents care enough about rural land in the two counties west of their city to vote tax dollars toward conserving it? Why would the city of Austin work to protect valuable nearby land from lucrative economic development? And, why should the average urban Texan give a second thought…

Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) has been described as an “easy” answer to “more” water by taking excess water, injecting it into aquifers and then pulling it back out in times of need, such as during drought. While some states to the east and west widely use ASR, that is not the case in Texas.…

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs is writing about it, the Texas Legislature’s Joint Interim Committee to Study Water Desalination is exploring it, and cities in the Rio Grande Valley, far West Texas and Central Texas are already using it. As Texas’ population continues to multiply and with drought never far out of the picture, the use of brackish…

By Katie Heinrich Eight endangered species listings, years of stakeholder negotiations and one federally approved habitat conservation plan later, the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) and its partners are providing stability to water management in the Edwards Aquifer region. The Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP) seeks to strike a balance between protecting the endangered species and the ability to…

Science of groundwater Aquifer: Aquifers are geological formations that can store, transmit and yield groundwater to a well or spring.Groundwater comes from nine major and 21 minor aquifers in Texas. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR): A type of water management system, ASR is generally defined as the deliberate recharge and temporary storage of excess water in…

By Leslie Lee Nearly every aspect of Texas groundwater is complicated. Unlike the clear movement of surface water to rivers and reservoirs following rains, the science of exactly how water moves down into aquifers and then within their geological features is more multifaceted. Consider that each aquifer in Texas has different geological and hydrological characteristics,…

By Leslie Lee A rice field is every duck’s winter dream home. The managed wetland provides plenty of water and ideal habitat for ducks and other waterfowl. After harvest, leftover grain and other new plant growth provide an abundance of food, and the birds need it most that time of year. Storing up energy reserves…