The new Groundwater Permit Planning Guide provides an overview of groundwater systems, aquifers and the associated geologic formations, and permit limitations in Western Hays County. This guide, a collaboration between the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, the Hays County Development Services, and the Cypress Creek Project partners (including the Watershed Association), is meant to inform current and future residents about the finite groundwater supplies in Western Hays County.
Residents and communities in Western Hays County are groundwater dependent. Home owners and businesses rely on private wells or groundwater supplied water utilities. Most water wells draw from the Middle Trinity Aquifer which also supplies flow from the iconic Jacob’s Well and Pleasant Valley Springs. Much of the year, that aquifer provides most of the base-flow to the major economic engines of the Wimberley Valley — Cypress Creek and the Blanco River.
The health of the aquifer, springs, and creeks are important to residents and visitors alike. In response to increasing development pressure and after a years-long stakeholder process, the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District established groundwater management zones to reduce negative impacts of drought through efficient water management. Permit limits set by rule help protect current groundwater users and spring flow.
