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Public commentator urges Smith County to contest large well permits; court moves matter to executive session
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Summary
During public comment, Johnny Parker urged Smith County to contest well permit applications he said would extract large volumes of groundwater and called on the county to hire counsel and scientists.
Johnny Parker urged Smith County Commissioners on June 17 to take legal and scientific steps to oppose large groundwater well permits he said were proposed by Pine Bliss LLC and Redtown Ranch Holdings LLC.
"A lot of people don't know what's going on with the water here in East Texas. But we're under attack," Parker said during the public-participation period, warning the court about applicants proposing dozens of wells on thousands of acres and describing multi-billion gallon annual extraction figures he said could affect East Texas aquifers.
Parker recommended the county hire outside counsel and scientists to contest permits and to produce data demonstrating regional impacts, naming Texas A&M and Texas Tech as possible sources of expert analysis. He told the court he has worked with other counties and was asked to alert Smith County officials.
The item Parker referenced (petition to authorize the county judge to file a notice of contest of well permit applications with the Naches and Trinity Valley Groundwater Conservation District) was on the agenda. The court recessed into an executive session later in the meeting "for deliberation and consultation with attorney regarding Naches and Trinity Valley Groundwater Conservation District water well application for Red Town Ranch Holdings, LLC and Pine Bliss, LLC," according to the posted agenda and the judge's announcement. The meeting went into executive session before the public record shows any final vote on the contested permits.
No attorney deliberations or final decisions were reported in open court before the meeting record stops; the court said it would return to open session to consider the items after the executive session.
