The Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District is taking a more active role in driller accountability and well management following a unanimous vote for General Manager Patrick Wagner to work with legal counsel Ty Embrey to address “rogue well drillers.”
Wagner said the district has been receiving complaints and notifications about issues so the district wants to make sure wells are being drilled in accordance with surface area regulations and registered to conserve water within the MTGCD counties and make sure everyone has access that needs it.
“People who have complaints or issues with wells are always free to call the district,” said Wager. (The Stephenville MTGCD office may be reached at 254965-6705.)
This vote followed a closed session at the end of the regular July meeting for the MTGCD Board of Directors on Thursday, July 6.
After the approval of operating permits, the board welcomed Butch Ronne to fill the seat of Gary Kafer as a Coryell County director. Ronne, who was recommended by board member W.B. Maples and knows a lot of people within Coryell, will serve the remainder of Kafer’s term, which ends in November. (In November, that seat and the seat of Maples will be up for election in Coryell while the seat of Robert Payne will be up for election in Bosque County.)
Several members of LRE Water, LLC were also present for an update on the stratigraphic model being prepared for MTGCD’s area to provide better data about the groundwater available. This is being compiled through careful study of available well data in the MTGCD member counties (Erath, Bosque, Coryell and Comanche) as well as Hamilton since that county runs adjacent to the district.
The data is being used to produce 3d cross sections and maps which are hoped to make permitting and conservation clearer for all involved.
Wagner also reported on current tax revenue collected as of June, noting that they were lower than usual collections at this point in the year.
Percentages collected as of the reporting were: Erath: 97.76% Comanche: 98.34% Bosque: 94.21% Coryell: 99.42% MTGCD was reviewing the numbers as they prepared to enter budget talks. Discussion will be on the August meeting agenda, which was moved from Aug. 3 to Aug. 10 at 1 p.m. in the Stephenville office (930 Wolfe Nursery Road).