In effort to expand data to support county development density control, a local groundwater conservation district may be receiving an influx of funds from Kendall County commissioners to support the district’s monitor well expansion program.
Legislative efforts to expand the county’s development control – aimed at conserving and protecting natural resources, especially water – were curtailed during the 2021 state legislative session, which local officials chalked up to a lack of data to support the legislative efforts.
Curt Campbell, Precinct 4 director for the Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District, went before the Kendall County commissioners late last month seeking support to expand their monitor well count, which could help support county officials’ future legislative efforts.
“For years, the commissioners court and the Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District have worked closely on what can we do to continue to protect our natural resources,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Richard Elkins said. “And over the last few months, we’ve come up with some ideas.”
Those ideas led to the commissioners considering funding the groundwater district with $400,000, which Elkins identified during a CCGCD meeting earlier this month as a jumping off point. About $250,000 is expected to come from the county’s American Rescue Plan Acts funds while the other $150,000 is being eyed from the county’s general fund.
Campbell said the groundwater district is looking to expand its existing 43 monitor wells by about 10 to 15 wells, and he estimated each well would run between $20,000 and $30,000. He said the monitor well equipment alone runs about $10,000, and each well, which needs to be between 400 and 600 feet, costs about $50 per foot drilled. In all, Campbell estimated the groundwater district will need between $400,000 and $600,000 to reach its goal.
“If we had a few more monitors wells, it would get us more selective on those very sensitive areas,” Elkins said. “If you talk to those who are digging the wells and have to go out and service the wells, we have a lot of wells going dry. And there are known very sensitive areas, but we do not have enough data sets that say, ‘If you have to go this much further down, you need to do something more creative, maybe it’s 10 acres a well in certain areas.’” While past legislative efforts have failed, county officials have said they are working on a multi-county effort to seek legislation in the future, which will be needed as any efforts during the 2023 state legislative session can expect the same development- lobby pushback heard in 2021 as Texas Senator Donna Campbell, R-25, publicly said she would not support any legislation that expanded county control.
County officials repeatedly have stated they are seeking more data-driven legislation, which Curt Campbell said was crucial because groundwater districts are not protected from civil suits under state law. Because of this, he said all of the rules the district implements need to be data-driven and backable in a court of law.
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