Groundwater district proposes 5‑acre minimum, new pumping caps; public hearing set Aug. 27

Doug Shaw, general manager of Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, told the Parker County Commissioners Court the district will hold a public hearing on Aug. 27 to consider sweeping updates to well permitting and spacing rules.

“We're gonna hold a public hearing on August 27,” Shaw said, summarizing the schedule for board consideration. The district’s proposals include an upper cap of 250,000 gallons per acre on permit allocations for the Trinity group of aquifers and a separate cap for the Cross Timbers formation. Shaw also described a proposal to require a minimum tract size of five acres in western parts of the district where the aquifer thins. He said the district’s database contains about 25,000 registered wells and roughly 1,500 commercial wells, and that commercial (nonexempt) wells would continue to be permitted and capped while private (exempt) wells remain subject to spacing and tract‑size rules under state law.

Shaw framed the rules as a move to sustainability and to promote development of centralized water infrastructure where appropriate. He said the district will publish public‑facing maps tied to state models so landowners can see precisely where the 60‑foot thickness boundary lies. Commissioners pressed Shaw on metering, enforcement, variances and the statutory limits on regulating private wells; Shaw answered that metering on private wells raises legal and practical challenges and that volunteers or negotiated exceptions could be considered but would be complex to implement. The district invited county residents and stakeholders to the Aug. 27 hearing to weigh in before the board takes action.