THREE CHALLENGES TO DEVELOPING A DESIRED FUTURE CONDITION FOR AQUIFERS IN TEXAS

Texas has 16 Groundwater Management Areas (GMAs) that are the basis of cooperative aquifer management focused on developing the Desired Future Condition (DFC) of aquifers. DFCs describe a measurable aspect of the aquifer at a future time i.e. acceptable water-level change to define sustainable aquifer use. The GMA decision making panel is made up of Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCD) with jurisdiction in the GMA. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) administers DFC development and approves DFCs adopted by GMAs. The initial deadline for DFC development was September 1, 2010. In a continual process, DFCs must be considered and adopted at least every five years.

TWDB supported initial DFC development with trial aquifer pumping scenarios of Groundwater Availability Models (GAMs). In 2011 the Texas Legislature added new deliberative requirements to the DFC process. Funding cuts left TWDB unable to give technical support to GMAs. Many GMAs retain technical consultants to support the deliberation documentation and provide comparative GAM scenarios.

Three challenges exist to DFC development. Some GCDs have detailed well inventories and can take a sophisticated approach to comparative pumping scenarios in the DFC development GAM-runs. An unequal ability to resolve pumping distribution spatially and in aquifer layers requires GMAs to rely heavily on assumptions regarding pumping distribution. Within a GMA there may be a significant difference in GCD funding levels. Well funded GCDs may be reticent to expend their taxpayer’s money to cover the costs of others. At best, the result is a healthy cost-efficiency but GMAs often cope with a less-than best case scenario for their DFC development scope of work. Participation by important groundwater user groups in the DFC development process is low. The lack of public participation requires GMAs to potentially rely heavily on assumptions regarding estimates and patterns of groundwater use. The advent of the hydro-fracking boom underscores the need for greater public participation in DFC development. While GMAs do face significant challenges in DFC development, it is important to remember; five years ago it was uncertain if all 16 GMAs would develop DFCs by September 2010. The identified challenges outline a roadmap to a stronger DFC development process for Texas.