Making Public Comment

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Our homes, roads and businesses are structurally supported by the groundwater aquifers below us, so excessive groundwater use causes sinking. Areas of South Montgomery County have already sunk 1’ in the past 20 years activating faulting and reducing the ability of rainwater to drain. New rules are being proposed which will INCREASE the amount of groundwater being used and so increase sinking.

This is your chance to provide feedback to the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District regarding these new rules. We recommend NOT APPROVING these new rules, but instead REDUCING groundwater use to sustainable levels, and including subsidence measurement requirements. Here’s why:

• Subsidence is irreversible; once the ground has sunk and aquifers compact they both are damaged forever;
• Increasing the rate of groundwater use will increase sinking, with some areas of South Montgomery county expected to sink 3’ by 2080, reducing drainage capacity and activating faulting;
• Causing negligent subsidence is a violation of Texas law;
• 14 subsidence measurement stations are already installed in Montgomery County;
• We have ample surface water available to provide water to meet existing and future population growth.

Therefore, rather than increasing groundwater use and risk irreversible and negligent subsidence, we believe a more prudent approach is to limit groundwater use to prevent subsidence, and ramp up use of surface water to meet growing demand.

Public feedback is critical to let the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District (LSGCD) know how you feel about the rate of groundwater use and risk of future subsidence.  You can provide feedback prior to July 19 by:

Email: info@lonestargcd.org

Or during public comment periods at monthly LSGCD meetings: https://www.lonestargcd.org/meetings-1