The Texas House Natural Resources Committee will hold a critical hearing tomorrow, Tuesday, February 10, at 10:00 AM, focused on aquifer sustainability and the Rule of Capture: the laws that govern groundwater use and control. 

The hearing will also address growing pressures from unsustainable pumping in the Hill Country’s Trinity Aquifer, which have caused severe impacts to Jacob’s Well.

Here’s what will be discussed:

• What the future of groundwater looks like across the state
• The Impacts of over-pumping & high capacity wells on Texas’s aquifers.
• Securing permanent legislative solutions to protect groundwater districts from corporate lawsuits.

Our local experts will be the final three to testify:

• Deborah Trejo, attorney for the Hays Trinity Groundwater District, on the legal and financial strain placed on local regulators
• Dr. Robert Mace, Executive Director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, on statewide aquifer conditions and desired future conditions.
• Marcus Gary, hydrogeologist and Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District board member, will discuss how lawsuits, leaks, and corporate pressure threaten local water control.

Here’s how you can stay involved:

• Live Stream the hearing: house.texas.gov/video-audio
• Submit comments before adjournment by visiting: https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c390

Thank you to Rep. Cody Harris, Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, for the opportunity to highlight the need for local water stewardship.

Spanning political and cultural lines, this growing coalition is united by a simple truth: clean, reliable drinking water is essential to the future of every Texas community.


Thank you for your continued support and dedication to protecting the springs, creeks, and rivers of Central Texas and beyond. 

The Watershed Association Board and Staff

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