Sugar Land council authorizes replacement of LID 17 well after subsidence review

The Sugar Land City Council on Aug. 5 authorized Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District No. 17 to drill a replacement for Well 1251 after a public hearing and staff presentation. City Water Resources Manager Margot Watson told the council the proposed replacement is a like-for-like drilling: "the new well that will be drilled is the exact same size, exact same diameter, depth, everything," and she said Fort Bend Subsidence District had already approved the drilling in June. Watson said the well had failed because of a large hole in the existing screen. The replacement is part of the city's Groundwater Reduction Plan (GRP), a multi-participant program the city administers to meet Fort Bend Subsidence District conversion requirements. Watson said the GRP includes 18 participants and up to 76 wells, of which the city owns 25. Staff told the council the district participant largely uses Oyster Creek raw water for irrigation and lake maintenance and relies on well water only as a supplement; the replacement will not increase the participant's aggregate groundwater entitlement. During council questions, Council Member Singhal asked what happens to the old well. Watson said the old well would be plugged and the city and the subsidence district would receive the plugging report: staff will keep a copy on file and the plugging will be performed "in accordance to TCEQ standards." Council Member Miller moved approval; Council Member Watley seconded. The motion passed 7-0. No members of the public signed up to comment during the hearing, the mayor said. The council's action authorizes staff to process the replacement drilling permit application as submitted by Levee Improvement District No. 17. What happens next: staff will require the plugging report for the abandoned well and will retain documentation with the GRP records; the subsidence district also receives the report, the city said.