New standards for drilling water wells
Submitted by jcht2010 on
The Texana Groundwater Conservation District met on June 22 and discussed new requirements for those drilling water wells exceeding state requirements. The move is something the board of directors believes will further protect the aquifer.
Tim Andruss, the Groundwater Conservation District’s general manager, said the State of Texas requires 10 feet around the casing in typical new water wells, but the Groundwater District’s board of directors voted to extend that to 50 feet.
“The board’s goal is to protect the aquifer,” said Andruss. “We require the sealing of the well to be extended.”
Another important change to note is the requirement of a permit to drill a well.
“The district has put in a permitting requirement that didn’t exist before,” said Andruss, “This is the most efficient and effective way for the district to be aware of what happens with the aquifer.”
The permitting process will help the District to locate wells, where in the past the only information they had was the logs drillers submit.
“The level of accuracy on those logs made it very difficult for the District to properly locate that well,” Andruss said. “If we can permit up front, we know what property it is on. If we do that, we can go about protecting the interest of the property owners.”
There was some debate by local drillers and property owners over the new requirements which the board is taking into consideration. The board will meet again on July 16, at 8:30 a.m. in the Jackson County Services Building kitchen classroom.
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