Hello all. I trust you had an enjoyable weekend Holiday season.
We’ve had some developments regarding the permit issue the WSWSC is currently working through with the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District. Below is a letter that will be going out as a stuffer in bills and separately to landowners in February.
Please send any questions to PermitQuestions@wswsc.org.
Letter text follows:
Dear Valued Customer,
I am writing to you as some time has passed since the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District (CTGCD) placed a Special Withdrawal Limitation (SWL) on our groundwater permit. We would like to alert you of some recent developments.
First, our usage for 2024 has far exceeded our estimate. Our usage has placed us very close to the reduced permit amount. The WSWSC will need to monitor usage on a monthly basis as we begin 2025. If we exceed 100% of the permit amount in our year-to-date community usage, our State-required Drought Contingency Plan requires us to implement Stage 4 water restrictions. Stage 4 eliminates nearly all outdoor water usage. This prohibition includes outdoor irrigation, filling pools or ponds, and any other outdoor usage. Coincidentally the CTGCD implemented Stage 4 for the district in December, so at this point you will need to obtain another water source for any outdoor water usage. This can include such things as rainwater collection, water reuse systems, or trucking in water. We will be closely monitoring our usage and District announcements in order to update the website and sign in front of the subdivision if we need to change our stage.
Second, a non-resident property owner filed a complaint with the Public Utility Commission (PUC) citing his inability to purchase a water meter because of the temporary moratorium. The PUC responded that due to WSWSC’s status as the holder of the Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) for our service area, we cannot restrict applications for service. The WSWSC is therefore required to lift the current moratorium and resume adding new meters to the water system. As we add new meters to the system, the limitations on usage will likely accelerate. Ultimately, if we cannot get the Special Withdrawal Limitation (SWL) removed from our permit, all residents will have their usage reduced on average by one-half of current usage. Stage 4 restrictions on outdoor usage will help with this quite a bit, but some additional belt tightening will be required by all residents if this happens.
Finally, in an effort to avoid significant changes to the water that our members have available, we are taking actions to aggressively challenge this limitation to our permit:
- We have conducted a new water study that refutes the accuracy of the CTGCD modelling methodology by comparing it to actual results. The result demonstrated that the CTGCD methodology overstated well impacts to surrounding areas by 249% when compared to historical measurements! We have sent the new study to the CTGCD, and they are currently evaluating it.
- We are taking our concerns to our State Representative and State Senator. They may be able to help the district see that they are unreasonably reducing our permit.
- We continue to meet with members of the CTGCD to see if we can formulate a reasonable resolution.
We realize that this restriction on usage is distressing for all to hear. As residents ourselves, we do not relish the implications.
We urge you to let the CTGCD leadership know what personal impact their decision will have on your family. The CTGCD typically has monthly board meetings at their offices in Burnet. There is a period at the beginning of these meetings where three-minute public comments can be made. If you would like me to provide talking points for this purpose, I’d be glad to provide them. I can also attend with you to provide support. I think that the more they hear from us the better. Or if you prefer, you can send your concerns directly to the following email addresses:
Mitchell Sodek – General Manager CTGCD – sodek@centraltexasgcd.org
Reno Lamb – Precinct 3 Director CTGCD – pct3@centraltexasgcd.org
Sincerely,
Gregg Thompson, President
Whitewater Springs Water Supply Company Board of Directors