Van Zandt commissioners back resolution to create regional groundwater district covering Carrizo‑Wilcox Aquifer

Van Zandt County Commissioners Court voted to support legislation establishing a regional Groundwater Conservation District (GCD) covering portions of the Carrizo‑Wilcox Aquifer, the court announced after a lengthy workshop and public comment session.

The resolution, passed by voice vote, urges the Texas Legislature to create a multi‑county district that would be funded by production and permit fees rather than an ad valorem property tax. County legal counsel said proposed rules would require meters on large permitted wells, regular reporting and enforcement authority to limit pumping when necessary.

Why it matters: county residents and commissioners said local water resources and agricultural livelihoods are at stake. Public commenters and local leaders said a regional approach offers stronger, uniform protection against commercial extraction than a patchwork of single‑county districts.

During public comment, rancher and Farm Bureau official Clayton Conway said, “We need some way to protect our groundwater in our county,” and urged careful drafting so agriculture and small towns are protected. Mayor Ernie Burns asked who would pay and whether litigation in neighboring districts could prevent the district from enforcing limits; he said a $50,000 local bill for his small city under a fee plan would be a concern.

County counsel Brian Sledge said the lawsuits he and others referenced are largely procedural challenges over whether specific permit applications were administratively complete, and not a limitation on a district’s power to restrict pumping once permits are issued. “You don’t have an unlimited right to pump in a Groundwater Conservation District,” Sledge told the court, adding that districts can seek civil penalties and injunctions to stop violations and that permits typically require meters and monthly reporting.

On funding, the court favored a user‑fee model. Sledge and several speakers noted a $0.30 per 1,000‑gallon fee for commercial and public water systems was being discussed; one public commenter estimated reclaiming state‑held revenues could bring roughly $4 million to local budgets if implemented regionally.

Next steps: the resolution authorizes the county judge to distribute the language to state leaders and directs the county to continue working with the proposed multi‑county committee drafting the local bill. The court considered but did not approve appointing the county judge as the county’s representative to that joint committee; that authorization died for lack of a second and will be revisited.

The court’s resolution calls on the Legislature to create a district structured to provide scientific, locally representative management of the aquifer while protecting existing uses. The court said technical details—exact fee schedules, exemptions for domestic and small livestock wells, and board structure—will be set in subsequent rulemaking and a management plan if the district is created.

The commission’s action is procedural support for pursuing a local bill; it does not itself create the district or impose fees.