The purpose of the District is to conserve, preserve, protect and prevent the waste of groundwater and to control subsidence caused by groundwater withdrawals. The Southern Trinity Groundwater Conservation District has within its boundaries the Trinity, the Woodbine and the Brazos River Alluvium aquifers.
In 1997 Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1, which called for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to designate Priority Groundwater Management Areas (PGMA). A PGMA is an area that is experiencing or that is expected to experience critical groundwater problems within the next 25 years. In 2005 the area of McLennan, Coryell, Bosque, Hill and Somervell Counties were designated as a PGMA.
McLennan County was designated as a PGMA due to its high population per capita in comparison with other areas of Texas. The Dallas metroplex area is another PGMA. Formation of a groundwater conservation district is a way to slow and attempt to reverse the overuse of the Trinity Aquifer in our area.
The County Commissioners appointed one director from each of the precincts and County Judge appointed one director to represent the district at large. The Directors are responsible for determining policy and regulating the withdrawal and use of groundwater within the boundaries of the District.
Management
Bylaws govern the operation of the district. Download the current STGCD By-Laws May 26, 2016
Management Plan: By law, groundwater conservation districts must develop a groundwater management plan. The management plan outlines the districts goals and the steps necessary to reach those goals.
The goals of the Management Plan are to:
• Provide for the most efficient use of groundwater
• Control and prevent waste of groundwater
• Control and prevent subsidence
• Address Conjunctive surface water issues
• Address natural resources issues
• Address drought conditions
• Address conservation
Download the current STGCD_MP_2021_07_15_Final
Consultants:
Deborah C. Trejo serves as General Counsel to the District. She is a partner in Kemp Smith LLP’s Environmental, Administrative and Public Law Department and focuses on representing governmental entities and private clients in environmental, water and administrative matters. Ms. Trejo specializes in groundwater issues, open government, regulatory takings, endangered species, elections, water quality, and constitutional issues. Ms. Trejo represents clients in administrative proceedings, including contested case hearings, and in trial and appellate proceedings before state and federal courts. Ms. Trejo has been named as one of the Best Lawyers in America in the area of Administrative/Regulatory Law and recognized as best lawyers for environmental law.
Dr. A. W. Blair Ph.D., P.E. is a consulting engineer and provides design, contract, and litigation support to irrigation and water districts in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Prior to becoming a consultant, he was an associate professor and the director of the Agricultural Engineering program at New Mexico State University and worked for two years for Advanced Programming Concepts as an assistant program manager for their United States Air Force projects. He received a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Arizona at Tucson, a master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from Texas A&M University at College Station, and a doctorate in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He has been a licensed professional engineer in Texas and New Mexico for over 25 years.
District Rules
Download the current rules STGCD Rules amended November 2023
Rules guide the operation of the district. They were adopted to achieve the objectives of Article XVI, Section 59, Texas Constitution, the District Act, Chapter 36, Texas Water Code, the Districts approved groundwater management plan and other general laws applicable to the District.
The Current District rules provide definition and guidance on the following areas:
• Purpose of the board and role of district staff
• District records
• Groundwater production
• Well management
• Fees
• Meters
• District procedures
• Water Quality
• Investigations and enforcement