Management Plan

Sterling County Underground Water Conservation District

Snapshot Management Plan 2018-2023

Goals, Management Objectives and Performance Standards

Goal 1.0 - §36.1071(a)(1) Providing the Efficient Use of Groundwater
Gather groundwater data both to improve the understanding of the aquifers and their hydrogeologic properties and to quantify this resource for prudent planning and efficient use.

     1.1. Management Objective
          The District will measure, record, and accumulate a historic record of static water levels in the monitoring network quarterly.

     1.1a. Performance Standard
          Water level measurements will be reported quarterly at regular board meetings.

Goal 2.0 - §36.1071(a)(2) Controlling and Preventing Waste of Groundwater
Minimize potential contamination of the groundwater bymonitoring the drilling, spacing and
completion of wells.

     2.1. Management Objective
          The District will register new wells drilled within the district in accordance with District Rules.

     2.1a. Performance Standard
          The District will maintain files including information on the drilling, spacing and completion of all new wells drilled within the District. Wells registered will be reported quarterly at regular board meetings.

Goal 3.0 - §36.1071(a)(6) Addressing Drought Conditions

     3.1.Management Objective
          The     District     will     monitor     the     NOAA     Climate     Prediction     Center and report quarterly at regular board meetings

     3.1a. Performance Standard Number of times index is reported.

     3.2 .Management Objective
          The District will maintain the rainfall monitor network.

     3.2a. Performance Standard
          Number of times rainfall network is monitored.

Goal 4.0 - §36.1071(a)(7) Addressing Conservation and Precipitation Enhancement

     4.1 Management Objective - Conservation
          The District will continue to be a source for available informational materials and programs to improve public awareness of efficient use, wasteful practices and conservation measures including the water conservation best management practices guide presented by the Water Conservation Advisory Council: http://www.savetexaswater.org/bmp/.

     4.1a. Performance Standard
          Number of informational materials and programs provided.

     4.2 Management Objective - Precipitation Enhancement
          The  District  will  continue  to  participate  in  the  West  Texas  Weather  Modification Association.

     4.2a. Performance Standard Number of meetings attended.

Goal 5.0 - §36.1071(a)(8) Addressing the Desired Future Conditions established under §36.108 Gather groundwater and rainfall data both to improve the understanding of the aquifers and their hydrogeologic properties and to achieve desired future conditions.

     5.1 Management Objective
          The District will each year measure, record, and accumulate an historic record of static water levels and rainfall accumulation in the well and rainfall monitoring networks to evaluate adherence to adopted desired future conditions.

     5.1a. Performance Standard
          The District will maintain files including number of water levels measured and static levels information on the well monitoring network. Water level measurements will reported quarterly at regular board meetings and wells tracked by the TWDB will be reported annually.

     5.1b. Performance Standard
          The District will maintain files including number of rain gauges downloaded and rainfall accumulation from the rainfall monitoring network.

Technical District Information Required by Texas Administrative Code

Estimate of modeled available groundwater in District based on desired future conditions.  Texas Water Code § 36.001 defines modeled available groundwater as “the amount of water that the executive administrator determines may be produced on an average annual basis to achieve a desired future condition established under Section 36.108.”

The joint planning process set forth in Texas Water Code § 36.108 must be collectively conducted by all groundwater conservation districts within the same GMA. The District is a member of GMA 7. GMA 7 declared the Dockum and Lipan Aquifers as not relevant for regional planning purposes in the Sterling County Underground Water Conservation District on September 22, 2016 and adopted DFCs for the Edwards/Trinity (Plateau) Aquifer on March 22, 2018. The adopted DFCs were forwarded to the TWDB for development of the MAG calculations. The submittal package for the DFCs can be found here: http://www.twdb.texas.gov/groundwater/management_areas/DFC.asp.

A summary of the desired future conditions and the modeled available groundwater are summarized below.

Edwards/Trinity(Plateau) Aquifer: An average drawdown of 7 feet for the Edwards-Trinity(Plateau) aquifer, except for the Kinney County GCD, based on the GMA 7 Technical Memorandum 18-01.

Dockum Aquifer: Not relevant for joint planning purposes within the boundaries of Sterling County Underground Water Conservation District.

Lipan Aquifer: Not relevant for joint planning purposes within the boundaries of Sterling County
Underground Water Conservation District.

Estimated Modeled Available Groundwater in ac/ft for the Edwards/Trinity (Plateau) Aquifer by
district from GAM Run 16-026 MAG Version 2.

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