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UVALDE COUNTY

UNDERGROUND WATER

CONSERVATION DISTRICT

GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN

2022-2027

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District Mission

The Uvalde County Underground Water Conservation District (UCUWCD) strives to protect the quality of,

conserve, enhance, manage and promote the beneficial use of the groundwater resources of Uvalde County

for the benefit of the citizens and the economy and to minimize waste.

Time Period for the Plan

This plan becomes effective upon adoption by the Board of Directors and replaces the previously

adopted management plan. This plan will be implemented and will remain in effect for five years from

the date of approval by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB).

Guiding Principles

The District recognizes that the groundwater resources of this region are of vital importance to the residents

and the economy, and that this resource must be managed effectively. A basic understanding of the nature

of the aquifers and their hydrogeologic characteristics, as well as the quantity of the groundwater resources,

is the foundation from which to develop prudent planning measures. This management plan is intended as

a tool to focus the programs and plans of the District to conserve the county's valuable groundwater

resources while allowing their prudent use.

About the District

The Uvalde County UWCD was created pursuant to Section 59, Article 16 of the Texas Constitution and

validated by the 73rd Legislature under Article 2, Senate Bill 1477. The District has the same boundaries

as the County of Uvalde.

The District Board of Directors is composed of eight members elected to staggered four-year terms.

Elections for directors are held in November. Two directors are elected from each of the county precincts.

The Board of Directors holds regular quarterly meetings. Called board meetings are held when

necessary, at the District offices in the First State Bank of Uvalde Bank Building located at 200

East Nopal, Suite 203, in Uvalde, Texas. Meetings of the Board of Directors are public.

Meetings noticed and held in accordance with public meeting requirements.

The District's Authority to Regulate Groundwater

The District derives its authority to manage groundwater use within the District by virtue of the

powers granted and authorized in the District enabling act of the 73rd Legislature under Article 2,

Senate Bill 1477. The District, acting under authority of the enabling legislation, assumes all the rights

and responsibilities of a groundwater conservation district as specified in Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code.

The District has adopted rules that specify the process, procedures, practices, and requirements for obtaining

a permit from the District. Tables 1. and 2. On page 5 provide information about the modeled

availability of groundwater in Uvalde County.

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Regulation of the Edwards Balcones Fault Zone (BFZ) aquifer within Uvalde County is the

responsibility of the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA). The Uvalde County UWCD has no

jurisdiction over the management of the Edwards (BFZ) aquifer. The District does and will

coordinate with the EAA on matters of common interest related to the aquifer, including monitoring

water use and cooperating in research with the EAA and other organizations such as the United

States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Water Resources of the District

Surface water in the District comes primarily from the Nueces River and its tributaries.

Groundwater is found in both major and local aquifers in the District. Major aquifers include the Edwards

(BFZ), Edwards-Trinity (Plateau), Carrizo-Wilcox and Trinity aquifers. Local aquifers include the

Leona Gravel, Buda Limestone, Anacacho Limestone, and Austin Chalk. There is significant

production from the Buda Limestone, Austin Chalk and Leona Gravel aquifers in areas of the District west

of the Knippa Gap which produce sufficient yields for irrigation and other uses. The remaining local

aquifers mostly supply domestic and livestock where water is not available from other aquifers.

A report completed for the District in 2010

1 concludes that prior studies of the western sub-basin clearly

demonstrate that the Edwards (BFZ) aquifer is in hydraulic communication with the Buda Limestone,

Austin Chalk and Leona Gravel local aquifers, and that index well J-27, although completed in the

Edwards (BFZ) aquifer, can indicate declines in groundwater levels in the those minor aquifers that

adversely impact the water resource. When the level in index well J-27 drops below 860 feet msl, recharge

to the Leona gravels and discharge to Soldiers Camp Springs to the Nueces River decline measurably.

However, it is difficult to distinguish how much interaction and leakage occurs between the formations

because of local structural and geological characteristics, including regional fracturing and faulting as well

as local erosion and deposition over geologic time.

Historical Water Use in the District

Historical surface water use within the District between 2003 and 2018 varied from highest total use of 2,448

acre-feet in 2008 to lowest total use of 401 acre-feet in 2016.

Historical groundwater use is reported from the four major aquifers in Uvalde County and does not include

production from the local aquifers, which is not quantified except to the extent that there have been inflows

from them into the major aquifers.

Total groundwater use within the district between 2004 through 2018 has varied from highest use of

105,682 acre- in 2009 to lowest use of 39,480 acre-feet in 2017. The largest use is for irrigation.

See Appendix A. Estimated Historical Water Use and

2022 State Water Plan Dataset, Uvalde County Underground

Water Conservation District, TWDB, October 27, 2021

1 Green, Ronald T. and Bertetti, F. Paul, Development of a Candidate Drought Contingency Plan for Uvalde County, Texas,

Geosciences and Engineering Division, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, May 2010