Prairie Lands groundwater officials report steady well registrations; court reappoints Paul Tishler

Johnson County commissioners heard an update from the Prairie Lands Groundwater Conservation District on July 14 and approved the reappointment of Paul Tishler to the district board for a four‑year term. The district reported changes in well registration, production and conservation efforts that officials said will guide local planning.

The district’s permitting director said the district saw 173 well registrations in one recent year compared with 193 district‑wide the prior year, and that Johnson County accounted for 99 new well registrations in the most recent year described, a majority of them for domestic use. Kaylene Garcia, the district’s permitting director, said many wells registered are domestic and that public water supplies remain the largest category of groundwater production.

District staff told the court they are implementing groundwater availability certifications required by state law to inform which subdivisions have groundwater suitable for long‑term development. The district also reported that overall permitted allocations for 2024 totaled about 9.7 billion gallons, of which roughly 3.1 billion gallons are allocated to sources within Johnson County; officials emphasized many permittees do not use their full allocation.

Commissioners and district staff discussed commercial uses and data centers. Garcia said data centers would be classified as nonexempt and subject to the district’s allocation limits — typically 50,000 gallons per acre per year unless historic use applies — and that developers would need to obtain water rights if they could not meet demand from permitted allocations. Commissioner questions and district remarks noted concern about future demand if several data centers locate in the region.

The district described several conservation and planning efforts now under way: water‑loss audits for retail public utilities, work with Groundwater Management Area 8 on regional dynamics and a rainwater harvesting rebate program that offers $1 per stored gallon up to 500 gallons to early participants. The district also said it is coordinating with Texas Real Estate Commission forms so buyers know if groundwater rights are not included with property transactions.

After the presentation, the commissioners voted to reappoint Paul Tishler to the Prairie Lands Groundwater Conservation District board for a four‑year term to expire 2029; the motion carried unanimously.

The district officials said they would remain available to answer follow‑up questions about groundwater availability studies and the rebate program as subdivisions continue to develop.