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Prairie Lands officials tell commissioners growth is increasing groundwater demand; district awarded state grant for monitoring well
Summary
Prairie Lands Groundwater Conservation District told the Johnson County commissioners the district recorded 3,168 registered wells and won a Texas Water Development Board science grant to fund an additional monitoring well; staff said rule changes and a draft high‑volume well amendment are forthcoming amid concerns about data centers and drawdown.
Kathy Turner Jones, general manager of the Prairie Lands Groundwater Conservation District, told the Johnson County commissioners during their July 13 meeting that rapid local growth is increasing demands on the county's aquifers and the district is expanding its monitoring and rule work to keep pace.
"Groundwater might be out of sight, but certainly isn't out of mind," Jones said, noting the district's recent accomplishments and rule amendments. She said Prairie Lands was selected for a Texas Water Development Board Groundwater Science and Research Data Collection grant and that the funding will pay to drill an additional dedicated monitoring well.
Kaelin (Kaylyn) Garcia, the district's technical presenter, said the district's registry lists 3,168 wells and that Johnson County accounts for the majority of those wells. She told commissioners roughly 238 wells are permitted users who report production monthly and that district allocations across the four‑county area total about 9.9 billion gallons; Johnson County's permitted allocation is roughly 3 billion gallons while actual county production was reported near 1.8 billion gallons.
Commissioners pressed district staff about the prospect of large industrial users, including data centers, drawing down local aquifers. Jones said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has not taken regulatory control beyond gathering production data and answering questions, and that the district's rules committee is evaluating possible amendments to treat high‑volume production wells differently — including production limits and spacing requirements. Jones said a draft of possible rule changes should be available in about 30 days.
Jones emphasized property‑rights limitations and parity among users: "They will not get one drop more than any other user will," she said, describing the district's acreage‑based allocation formula. The court received the presentation and asked staff to continue outreach and bring draft rule language forward when available.
