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Van Zandt County commissioners agree to draft resolution opposing commercial water wells, schedule expert workshop
Summary
County commissioners voted to draft a nonbinding resolution opposing commercial water well permits and to schedule a workshop with a local water expert after raising concerns about aquifer impacts and potential state control.
Van Zandt County commissioners voted during a regular meeting to draft a resolution opposing commercial water wells and to schedule a workshop for an expert briefing before finalizing language.
The move came after commissioners said they learned last week of proposals to allow commercial extraction from local aquifers and that other nearby counties are already opposing those permits. One commissioner moved to draft a resolution “supporting the other counties” and opposing commercial wells; another commissioner seconded the motion. The motion was approved by voice vote with no recorded roll-call names.
Commissioners said they feared large commercial withdrawals could harm private wells and the county’s water supply. Several members asked for more technical information before finalizing the resolution, including a presentation from a local water-industry specialist one commissioner described as “probably more of an expert” on subsurface conditions. One commissioner urged caution about state involvement, saying they did not want a state agency to “come out and put a meter on my private water well.”
Officials noted the county’s timeline was already tight: staff and at least some officials had missed an initial Thursday deadline to submit comments to the state entity holding a separate hearing. Commissioners said the hearing had taken testimony and deferred a decision for 90 days. Because of that delay, they agreed to draft a resolution reflecting the county’s concerns, notify the appropriate river or water authority referenced in the discussion (the Sabine River Authority was named during the meeting), and schedule the expert briefing before finalizing and submitting the resolution.
One commissioner clarified that a resolution would be nonbinding but would “give our collective voice to the conversation.” The group then approved the motion and directed staff to arrange the workshop and bring the draft resolution back to the commission for a formal vote.
The agenda also included a proposed executive session under the Texas Government Code to discuss a separate contract negotiation, which the commission said it would hold after adjourning the regular meeting.
