The Future of Groundwater Availability

1. The Future of Groundwater Availability Jim Brasher – General Manager, Colorado County Groundwater Conservation District August 8, 2011 – Colorado County Commissioners Court

2. Outline • Description of Aquifer • Groundwater Usage • Future Groundwater Usage • Well Registration and Permitting

3. Major Aquifers of Texas

4. Hydrologic Cross-Section

5. 3-D Conceptual Model

6. Pumpage versus Water Level Change Chicot Evangeline Jasper

7. Pumpage versus Water Level Change Evangeline

8. Summary of Gulf Coast Aquifer • Composed of Chicot, Evangeline and Jasper Aquifers (along with Burkeville Confining Unit) • Chicot is best and Jasper is poorest quality • Aquifers dip and thicken from NW to SE • Computer simulations can project aquifer conditions based on pumpage assumptions at future points in time

9. Types of Groundwater Usage • Municipal or Public Supply • Domestic • Livestock • Commercial • Irrigation • Mining • Fracture Stimulation (Oil & Gas)

10. Irrigation

11. Colorado County Groundwater Usage

12. Colorado County Groundwater Usage

13. Ave water level of index wells (CBGCD) 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

14. Future Water Usage • Up until recently: • High availability of Colorado River for irrigation • Abundant groundwater throughout the county • No accurate estimate of groundwater usage or availability because there was plenty of water • No regulation needed

15. Region K Water Plan

16. Projections of Irrigation Usage (Surface and Groundwater) (p) – denotes that only the portion of the county in Region K was considered Lower Colorado Regional Water Planning Group (Region K) – July 2010

17. Projections of Municipal Usage (Surface and Groundwater) (p) – denotes that only the portion of the county in Region K was considered Lower Colorado Regional Water Planning Group (Region K) – July 2010

18. Projections of Municipal Usage (Surface and Groundwater) (p) – denotes that only the portion of the county in Region K was considered Lower Colorado Regional Water Planning Group (Region K) – July 2010

19. Future Groundwater Projections • Projected increase in population in Colorado County pales in comparison to Travis and surrounding counties • Colorado and surrounding counties will be viewed as prime areas to exploit for transport of water to urban areas! • LCRA-SAWS project was an example • $1.6 billion project underway to transport water to San Antonio from Gonzales County

20. Future Groundwater Usage • Water will increasingly be treated as a commodity • Water marketers who can deliver water to urban areas will be well compensated • Result: • Is Regulation good or bad? • Prefer local or state control? • Do you risk having no regulation?

21. CCGCD Rules & Regulations • Well Registration • Well Permitting • Production limits • Spacing requirements • Some metering • Data Acquisition

22. Well Registration • Every water well (new and existing) must be registered • One-time procedure • No costs to the registrant

23. Well Registration • Why do I have to register my well? • Protection from offset production. • Example: Water needs for hydraulic fracture stimulation for Eagle Ford Shale • Aquifer: Poorest area in the county for aquifer. Will need to access Evangeline and Jasper most likely. • Water Requirements: Small total amount needed, but VERY high rates • Potential Impact: Severe local drawdown of water table

24. Well Registration • Why do I have to register my well? • Protection from offset production. • Protection in the event of contamination. • May be difficult to get your well serviced if well is not registered. • Can get a more accurate estimation of water usage for the District…underreporting usage means over-reporting availability.

25. Well Registration • What happens if I don’t register my well? • CCGCD tries to highlight the advantages to the well owner of registering their well • District does have the power to fine well owners who refuse to register their wells

26. Well Registration • Expect 3000 to 4000 wells in the District should be registered • Predict that 1500 to 2000 will be registered • Some residents are not aware of registration • Some civil disobedience • Deadline to register: September 15, 2011 • Board is likely to extend deadline • Forms available at District office or web-site (www.ccgcd.net)

27. Well Permitting • Only a select few of the total wells registered will require a permit (estimate 5 – 10%) • The following are exempt from requiring a permit: • Domestic wells pumping < 50,000 gpd • Livestock wells pumping < 50,000 gpd • Rig supply wells for oil/gas E&P • Mining regulated by the Texas Railroad Commission • Abandoned wells

28. Well Permitting • Examples of wells NOT exempted (i.e. will require a permit) • Irrigation wells (not including gardens & lawns) • Municipal/public supply wells • Wells used to supply rigs performing hydraulic fracture stimulation • Wells for gravel operations • Commercial wells (business & manufacturing)

29. Well Permitting • Permits are typically of 3-yr duration • Amount of water designated for use can be used at any time during permit period • Permittees can apply for amendment to permit if more water may be required • Spacing from existing wells depends on the size of the well being permitted

30. Well Permitting • Four types of Permits • Existing and Historic Use Permits • Operating Permits • Test Well Permits • Transport Permits • Depending on the size of the well, approval of the permits may be done by the General Manager, by the Board of Directors, or will require a public hearing

31. Well Permitting • Permitted wells with greater than 6 inch casing diameter might require a meter • Essentially, only Class C wells will be metered • Domestic and livestock wells will NOT be required to have a meter!!! • State law • Practicality of metering thousands of wells

32. Data Acquisition • A monitor well network has been set up to check monthly changes in water level

33. Data Acquisition • A monitor well network has been set up to check monthly changes in water level • Pumpage and water level data will be incorporated into computer simulation models that help predict future aquifer conditions

34. Questions?