Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District Board
The Ditch Water Discovery Center at Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District’s Stephenville office is already expanding even though its official ribbon cutting is still several months away set for October.
MTGCD Education/ Public Relations Coordinator Stephanie Keith reported the district was approved for a community sustainability fund grant from Capital Power.
The extra funds will allow for the Ditch outdoor learning area to expand around behind the office with the planting of thunder turf grass, the installation of pocket gardens throughout the site, installing another sitting area, replacement of non-native trees with native species and a rain water feature to reduce water usage around the Ditch.
The grant will also cover an upgrade to LED lighting on The Ditch’s classroom building which will reduce energy consumption.
There is a ribbon cutting/ open house for the public to see The Ditch at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22. Light refreshments will be served and there will be tours of The Ditch as well as MTGCD offices.
These announcements were made during the regular MTGCD meeting on July 11 at the Stephenville office (930 Wolfe Nursery Rd.).
MTGCD General Manager Patrick Wagner also briefed the board members on the first draft of the 2025 budget, announcing that they were still waiting on data. Wagner provided some preliminary estimates based on the amended 2024 budget and existing tax rate of .006463 per $100 valuation for the district’s counties (Erath, Comanche, Coryell and Bosque). Wagner estimated that the district’s no new tax rate for 2025 will be .00615 but said it will be dependent on information from the counties’ appraisal districts. He hoped to have that information for the August board meeting and asked board members to review the budget for discussion in the upcoming meeting.
Wagner also thanked the board during an update on the Hydrogeologic model of the Trinity aquifer saying he utilizes the model through a lot of his work and that it replaces information that wasn’t as helpful.
During regular reports, Wagner reported there was significant decline in water levels on the Eastern side of Coryell and that he wanted the board to consider a multi-port well in the area to provide multiple points of data on the drawdown.
Field tech Johnny Wells reported the rain had helped in Comanche with 19 of the metered wells higher than last reading, six down and two about the same. Keith said the rains also helped with irrigation on the Distch since she didn’t have to water as much but the rains also meant maintenance on the walking trails as some parts had washed out.
MTGCD is the governing body which oversees the permitting and management of groundwater in the counties of Erath, Comanche, Bosque and Coryell, working to ensure proper conservation of resources under Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code.