6.3 Other GCDs

Other active GCDs managing the Edwards Aquifer are the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD), the Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District (CUWCD), and the Kinney County Groundwater Conservation District (KCGCD). Other overlapping GCDs manage the overlying (Carrizo-Wilcox and alluvial) and underlying (Trinity) aquifer systems (map available).

The BSEACD was established in 1987 to serve the municipalities in portions of Hays, Travis, Caldwell, and Bastrop counties that depend on the aquifer. It is also responsible for portions of the underlying Trinity Aquifer. The BSEACD has established a set of drought status stages for curtailing pumping (Table 6). These restrictions are intended to preserve the endangered species that appear in all four of the springs and are based on an index well close to the springs. The well stages are correlated to spring discharge (e.g., a well water level of 141.0 m (462.7 feet) above mean sea level corresponds to spring discharge of 0.566 m³/s (20 ft³/s). An additional index well (the Lovelady well) is situated in the transition zone between the fresh and brackish Edwards Aquifer about 6 km (3.8 miles) south of Barton Springs. Water levels in the Lovelady well are more stable than spring discharge as local rainfall can cause short-term fluctuations in spring discharge.

Table 6 – Drought status stages and pumping reductions for the Barton Springs segment (BSEACD, 2021a, b). Index well water elevations are in feet above mean sea level (msl) and spring flows are in cubic feet per second (cfs). 100 cfs = 2.83 m³/sec.

*Voluntary conservation is encouraged from May through September even under no drought status. Pumping reductions do not apply to small domestic and livestock water wells. Most other (mostly municipal and industrial) wells are type A. Well classes are defined in BSEACD (2021b).

The CUWCD was established in 1989 and is responsible for groundwater management in Bell County. Its mission is to develop and implement effective groundwater management to protect the water resources in the county. The KCGCD’s goal is to balance conservation and preservation, as well as efficient and beneficial use of groundwater, along with protection of the private property rights of landowners for the benefit of present and future citizens of the county.