Local Groundwater Managers at Critical Planning Point for Trinity Aquifer

(AUSTIN, TX – Aug. 19, 2008) The Trinity Aquifer faces devastating depletion unless local groundwater managers plan conservatively for growing population and development demands. Groundwater management area 9 (GMA 9) will meet this month in Kerrville to discuss new groundwater data to develop “desired future conditions,” a goal local groundwater managers set for how they want the stressed aquifer to look in the future.

“Frequent drought, combined with population growth, means that we must proceed with great caution in planning for the future of the Hill Country and its groundwater resources,” said Laura Marbury, Texas Water Projects Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “GMA 9’s decisions at this meeting, and moving forward, will impact not just the Trinity Aquifer’s future, but also the springs, creeks, and wells that depend on the aquifer.”

The meeting is open to the public and begins at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at the Upper Guadalupe River Authority Classroom, located at 125 Lehmann Drive, Kerrville, TX.

“Now is the time for Hill Country residents to engage in this process and help ensure GMA 9 acts to preserve and protect aquifer levels,” said Marbury.

GMA 9 sits atop the Trinity Aquifer and covers the heart of the Hill Country area, encompassing all or parts of Kerr, Blanco, Hays, Kendall, Bandera, Medina, Comal, Travis and Bexar counties. It also includes the Sabinal, the Medina, the Blanco, the Pedernales, and the Guadalupe Rivers, plus countless springs and creeks lined with fishing spots and swimming holes. These areas have seen a rapidly growing population that is projected to continue growing well into the foreseeable future.  

Find more information on GMA 9 and the local groundwater conservation districts it encompasses here.  

Find more information about the GMA process here.