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1 Water study warns of groundwater stress; consultants recommend regional utility options
Summary
Consultants told a Wimberley joint workshop that the valley is in a priority groundwater management area, cited declines that have stopped flows at Jacob’s Well, and recommended options including conservation, aquifer storage and recovery and formation of a regional public utility authority to coordinate funding and infrastructure.
Consultants presenting the comprehensive plan’s new "1 Water" chapter told the Wimberley City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission on April 9 that the Wimberley Valley faces significant groundwater stress and that regional governance and investment are needed to address it.
David Baker, introduced by Langford as a lead on the 1 Water study, said the valley’s aquifer is being overdrawn during drought conditions and that a one-foot change in water level in parts of the Cypress watershed can stop Jacob’s Well from flowing. "One foot of water level change in that northern part of the Cypress Watershed stops Jacob's Well from flowing," he said, summarizing observed sensitivity in the basin.
Consultants outlined a toolbox of strategies: conservation and demand reduction (including landscape and outdoor-watering policies), rainwater harvesting and reuse, leak reduction and infrastructure repair, aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) studies, and exploring a regional Public Utility Authority (PUA) that could plan, bond and implement projects across municipal and county boundaries.
On governance, consultants recommended a PUA covering Wimberley, Woodcreek and Hays County as a vehicle to pool planning authority and financing. A PUA could issue bonds and seek state funding, the consultants said, but would not be a taxing entity. "Establishing the PUA is bridal," one consultant said, describing it as a mechanism to unify management and access funding; the consultants also noted legal and political complexities, including relationships with private water providers and the groundwater district.
Council members raised feasibility and control questions, including whether a PUA could compel a private utility to fix leaks or change operations. Consultants responded that a PUA would not automatically have authority over investor-owned utilities but would provide a stronger regional voice and access to funding to help address infrastructure problems.
Funding opportunities were discussed: consultants said state programs have multiple funding "buckets" and that Wimberley could be eligible for up to $10,000,000 in certain new-supply funding if project conditions are met. Consultants emphasized feasibility studies would be required and that decisions about large investments—such as surface-water pipelines—carry long-term land-use and wastewater implications.
The workshop did not adopt any policy; consultants asked for comment and said the 1 Water materials will be integrated into the comprehensive plan as a separate chapter and as backup research. The bodies agreed to review consultant materials and to consider zoning and implementation steps in upcoming Planning & Zoning and council sessions.
