Figure 1.
WaterDefenders Coalition Requested DFCs
As we mentioned in our last update, there was a critical discussions on setting desired future conditions (DFCs) for the Simsboro aquifer at the October 20, meetings. In that meeting Environmental Stewardship and Simsboro Aquifer Defense Fund provided a conservation option for consideration at the upcoming November 8th meeting. The graphic above describes what the WaterDefenders Coalition is requested (on the left) versus what the General Manager proposed (on the right).
For reasons detailed below, WaterDefenders requested that the Lost Pines board vote to approve no more than 30,303 acre-feet per year [AFY] of pumping in the Simsboro formation with a predicted average drawdown in water level of 183 feet. [see Figure 1 above]
At the September 2021 meeting, the Lost Pines board agreed to proposed average drawdown in water levels for other formations of the Carrizo-Wilcox and in the Sparta and Queen City aquifers. At the same meeting, in response to research presented by WaterDefenders, the Lost Pines board directed staff to research reductions in predicted average drawdown in the water level for the Simsboro formation. At the November 9th meeting, Director Phil Cook, tried to pass a motion that would have rolled all of the other aquifer levels back to the 2017 DFC levels. That motion failing, and at the request of other directors, he revised the motion to only apply to the Simsboro aquifer.
The Simsboro formation, part of the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer, is important for many reasons; the Simsboro has high water quality; it is the focus of several large permits by water marketing companies hoping to sell water to other parts of Texas; and it has a major impact on the Colorado River and adjoining formations, the Calvert Bluff and the Hooper.
Currently, the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer contributes approximately 21,000 AFY of water to the Colorado River. [Note: Lake Bastrop’s capacity is 15,000 acre-feet. The Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer contributes more than the equivalent of Lake Bastrop to the Colorado River each year!]. Research by Environmental Stewardship shows that when you increase groundwater pumping in the Carrizo-Wilcox, approximately 63% of the water collected is redirected away from the Colorado River, and other surface waters, toward the water pumps.
The current Desired Future Conditions, set in 2017, envision an increase in pumping up to approximately 30,303 AFY from the Simsboro formation by 2070. This amount of pumping will reduce the inflows to the Colorado river, down from 21,000 AFY to approximately 8,500 AFY. Environmental Stewardship believes this is the bare minimum needed for the Colorado River to survive another drought-of-record like we saw in 2011.
An Economic Impact Study by SAWDF estimates that 30,303 AFY of pumping will damage more than 250 domestic/livestock wells in Lee and Bastrop counties, including wells in the Calvert Bluff or Hooper formations. The economic impact for landowners with domestic/livestock wells, including mitigation costs, lost property value and lost income is conservatively estimated at $100,304,878. [see Figure 2]
In October 2021, Lost Pines' staff introduced a new pumping file [S-15] for the Groundwater Availability Model [GAM] with proposed pumping of 82,839 AFY in the Simsboro formation. This pumping would have resulted in a predicted average drawdown of 239 feet by 2070. This is an increase of 2.7 times the pumping envisioned in the 2017 Desired Future Conditions.
Environmental Stewardship estimates that the Colorado River will become a “losing stream” when pumping in the Simsboro formation exceeds approximately 78,000 AFY; a conservation red-line. The pumping proposed by staff exceeds this threshold and robs the river of another 1,000 AFY. In a future severe drought, there would be little or no groundwater flowing to the river to retain its ecological resilience in support of fish, wildlife, irrigation, or recreation.
SAWDF reviewed the proposed pumping and updated the Economic Impact Study. SAWDF estimates the increased pumping will damage more than 500 domestic/livestock wells in Lee and Bastrop counties. The economic impact for landowners with domestic/livestock wells, including mitigation costs, lost property value and lost income is conservatively estimated at $155,526,151. [see Figure 2 below]
Due to the unreasonable impacts on surface waters, especially the Colorado River, property rights in groundwater, and damage to domestic/livestock wells, WaterDefenders.org requested that the Lost Pines board vote to approve no more than 30,303 AFY of pumping in the Simsboro formation with a predicted average drawdown in water level of 183 feet.
