The Conroe City Council voted to support a proposal that could nearly double the amount of groundwater pumped from Montgomery County aquifers, sending a signal of support to regional water regulators ahead of a key decision later this year.
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The Conroe City Council voted Thursday to support a proposal that could nearly double the amount of groundwater pumped from Montgomery County aquifers, a move supporters say is backed by updated water modeling and opponents say warrants more public discussion.
The council approved a resolution in a 3-2 vote supporting the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District proposal to increase allowable groundwater production from 97,000 acre-feet annually to 199,000 acre-feet.
Council members David Hairel and Shana Arthur voted against the resolution, saying they wanted the city to hold a workshop on the issue before taking a position.
The resolution itself does not change groundwater pumping limits. Instead, it formally communicates Conroe's support for the proposal as Groundwater Management Area 14 considers updated long-term groundwater goals later this year.
Sarah Kouba, executive director of the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, said the proposed increase is supported by updated modeling developed through the Texas Water Development Board.
"We got an improved model" from the state agency that shows additional groundwater can be produced while remaining within established aquifer management goals, Kouba said.
According to the district, the proposal maintains the current target of limiting median aquifer drawdown to 70%, even as allowable pumping volumes increase.
Previous groundwater models placed greater emphasis on concerns over land subsidence, or the gradual sinking of the ground caused by the removal of underground resources such as water, oil or natural gas.
Kouba said subsidence remains a concern in coastal counties closer to the Gulf of Mexico but has not emerged as a significant issue in Montgomery County, although monitoring continues in the southern portion of the county.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, subsidence most commonly occurs when groundwater extraction causes underground sediment layers to compact.
Texas established 16 Groundwater Management Areas in 2003 through the Texas Water Development Board to coordinate long-term aquifer planning among local groundwater conservation districts.
Montgomery County falls within Groundwater Management Area 14, which includes five conservation districts: the Lone Star, Bluebonnet, Brazoria County, Lower Trinity and Southeast Texas groundwater conservation districts.
State law requires groundwater management areas to update and adopt desired future conditions for aquifers every five years through a process that includes a 90-day public comment period.
Although they are not voting members of GMA 14, the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District and the Fort Bend Subsidence District participate in discussions related to groundwater use and land subsidence impacts.
Groundwater Management Area 14 is expected to decide whether to adopt the revised pumping conditions before the end of the year.
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