Committed to preserve, protect, and conserve the groundwater resources for all the current and future citizens of Gillespie County.
Ellenburger Critical Groundwater Depletion Area
The Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District (District) is seeking comments and data from well owners within the current Ellenburger Critical Groundwater Depletion Area 1 (ECGDA 1), click here for map, for the purpose of completing a collaborative study to determine the need to reclassify the ECGDA 1 from Category One to a Category Two classification.
As background the District established the ECGDA 1 in April 2023. This area was classified as a Critical Groundwater Depletion Area Category One under District Rule 9.3 A(1) at the time of implementation. Factors for declaring this area included water level declines due to the extended drought and the volume of new production in the Ellenburger Aquifer.
The aforementioned collaborative study is to address the projected demand equaling or exceeding the Modeled Available Groundwater (MAG) figures provided to the District by the Texas Water Development Board. The District, through the regional planning process has adopted Desired Future Conditions (DFC) for all of the Aquifers within the District. These DFCs determine the amount of groundwater that can be produced on an annual basis represented by the MAG.
Therefore, if you are a well owner with a well producing from the Ellenburger Aquifer in the ECGDA 1, please provide your comments and data to the District no later than November 4, 2024. Comments and data may be delivered to the District office at 508 Washington, Fredericksburg TX 78624 or emailed to hcuwcd@austin.rr.com. Please note only affected parties’ comments will be accepted and included. Affected Party is a person having an Ellenburger well located in the ECGDA 1.
Hours & Contact Information
Public office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Please note there will be times when no personnel will be in the office during normal business hours, so it is advisable to call ahead to ensure someone will be in the office.
Contact Information
Office Number: 830.997.4472
Paul Babb, General Manager: cell phone #830.225.3169 * email address: pbabb@hcuwcd.org
Margaret Ratliff, Assistant General Manager: cell phone #325.248.4492 * email address: hcuwcd@austin.rr.com
Public Notices
Stage 4 Drought - Critical
The Board of Directors of the Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District (“District”) at their August 8, 2023 board meeting declared a Stage 4 Drought, which is Critical. The District recommends a 20% reduction in daily water demands, a 40% in maximum daily demands. The District encourages all permit holders, including historic wells, to comply. For residential wells the District recommends outdoor watering be limited to one day per week. During this prolonged drought, not only the citizens of Gillespie County, but throughout the Hill Country area need to conserve water. In addition to conservation measures, such as limiting outdoor watering to one day per week should be practiced, any water leaks should be repaired. Water conservation measures can reduce demand and help preserve existing groundwater supplies to ensure adequate groundwater is available through this current drought. We encourage everyone to participate to maximize success in this persistent drought to ensure we have groundwater not only today, but for future generations of this limited finite resource.
Ellenburger Critical Groundwater Depletion Area 1 Declared
The Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District (‘District”) allowed the moratorium that has been in place since July 12, 2022 on issuing new permits on wells used for irrigation, municipal and commercial purposes within Gillespie County to expire on April 6, 2023. In its place at the April 4, 2023 board meeting, following a public hearing, the District voted to declare a Critical Groundwater Depletion Area Category One Classification for the Ellenburger Aquifer in the southeastern portion of Gillespie County (click here for map…area shaded in purple) for new permits used for irrigation, municipal and commercial purposes. The aforementioned area will be referred to as Ellenburger Critical Groundwater Depletion Area 1 (“ECGDA 1”). Notice of the hearing was posted in the Fredericksburg Standard Newspaper March 15, 2023 edition, as well as on the District’s website and Gillespie County Courthouse.
A CGDA Category One as defined in District Rule 9.3(A)1 states “ A Category One classification will be assigned to an area experiencing critical depletion due to climatic events where the ability of the aquifer to provide sustainable yields at normal usage rates is seriously impaired. The duration and severity of the climatic conditions will determine the extent and period of the conservation actions taken by the District. Upon return of normal climatic conditions and adequate recharge to bring the aquifer back to sustainable normal usage, the District will cancel the CGDA.”
The actions the District will take following this declaration will be to reduce the maximum allowable amount of water permitted to be produced from 1 acre foot per acre per year, to 0.5 acre foot per acre per year for the identified service area of the well(s). In addition, all new permitted wells in the ECGDA 1 will be required to have meters on the well. This only pertains to the new permitted wells producing from the Ellenburger Aquifer in the southeastern portion of Gillespie County. This does not pertain to non-permitted exempt new wells used for domestic or livestock purposes. Nor does this pertain to new permitted wells completed in non Ellenburger wells (i.e., Edwards, Hensel, Hickory, etc). The High Historical Groundwater Use Area I and Buffer Zone in this area will remain under its present restrictions and independent of the ECGDA 1, except the maximum allowable amount of water to be permitted in the High Historical Groundwater Use Area Buffer Zone is 0.5 acre foot per acre per year of the service area.
The reason the District is singling out Ellenburger permitted wells is the drawdown in the water levels observed in the District’s monitor wells. This drawdown is due to the extended drought we have been experiencing over the years, and in addition to the volume of new production from the Ellenburger Aquifer in the southeastern portion of Gillespie County in recent years. The Ellenburger Aquifer is the most critical aquifer in the county providing water to municipalities, irrigation users and commercial businesses. Its continued sustainability is vital not only for today, but for tomorrow. For this reason, the District has taken the steps necessary to protect this critical water source.
Drought Condition Alert
The Local Drought Index as of October 5, 2024 is -2.20, which is a moderate drought stage. The U.S. Drought Monitor, as of October 29, 2024, has Gillespie County in moderate to severe drought stages. Outdoor watering should be limited to once a week, and all indoor and outdoor leaks should be fixed.
Gillespie County is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a merchant, and a solider who died a hero at the 1846 Battle of Monterrey in the Mexican-American War. Gillespie County became a county in 1848 when the Legislature separated the area from Bexar and Travis Counties.
Gillespie County is located in west central Texas, approximately 70 miles west of Austin and approximately 65 miles northwest of San Antonio. It sits on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau, and south of the Llano uplift. Gillespie County comprises approximately 1,062 square miles or 679,700 acres.
Disclaimer
The information found in this website is compiled and made available as a public service by the Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District “District”. However, the District makes no warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for results obtained from the use of the information. Distribution of the information does not constitute such a warranty. Use of the information is the sole responsibility of the user.Links provided on this website are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the District of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. The District bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links contained in the external site. Contact the external site for any answers to questions regarding the links content.