Water district board OKs management plan
By MAT TAYLOR Special Correspondent

The Saratoga Underground Water Conservation District Board of Directors, at its recent monthly board meeting, approved the updated Saratoga district management plan. Board chairman David Hamilton reviewed the plan prior to approval.

"The management plan, after review and comments from the Region G Water Planning Group, will be submitted to the Texas Water Development Board for certification," he said.

According to the plan, the mission of the SUWCD, which was approved by a majority of voters in November 1989, is to protect and enhance the quantity and quality of usable water in the district, which includes all of Lampasas County.

The Saratoga district lies in several aquifers, but the Trinity Aquifer is the primary source of ground water of interest. Water from this aquifer is used for public, industrial, livestock and domestic use.

Other aquifers in limited areas include Marble Falls, Travis Peak, Glen Rose, Hensell and Houston.

Some objectives of the groundwater district include implementing management strategies that will encourage the most efficient use of ground water. Each year the district will provide educational materials that identify conservation measures.

Also, news articles will be published that contain water conservation information.

Other goals include providing informational speakers to local schools and civic organizations to raise public awareness of the wise use of ground water, and to implement a program to improve and protect the quality of aquifers and to control and prevent waste.

The SUWCD also will lend support to a water quality monitoring group for the purpose of establishing baseline water quality throughout the district, and will meet annually with leaders of the incorporated cities in the district to discuss potential improved use of surface water resources in the area.

The Saratoga district also will consult with other groundwater conservation districts on issues throughout the year to learn more efficient ways to manage surface water.

Another objective is the utilization of a system of either rainfall or local aquifer conditions or other appropriate criteria to determine one or more mechanisms to trigger implementation of drought management plans.

Trigger conditions would include the Palmer Drought Severity Index, the lack of rain for 60 days or more, and/or temperatures over 100 degrees for 20 consecutive days.

The final goals of the Saratoga district are to develop a plan for all water users to conserve the resource, and to develop desired future conditions as defined by HB 1763 through participation in water planning with the Groundwater Management Area 8 committee.

Also at their recent meeting, SUWCD directors approved the Desired Future Conditions for the Trinity Aquifer. Hamilton said the report states that the Texas Water Development Board projects a relatively stable water table for the SUWCD for the next 50 years.

"The Brazos G Regional Water Plan indicated there is 6,879 acre-feet of water available in Lampasas County," said Hamilton. "Underground water usage has varied from a reported low of 610 acre-feet in 1988 to a high of 1,872 in 2000."

Well data for the three wells in Lampasas County monitored by the TWDB reflect a fairly stable water level since 1962. Water level variation has fluctuated not more than plus-or-minus 30 feet over the past 45 years, Hamilton added.

Finally, the board chairman reviewed the current Palmer Drought Severity Index. Although below-average rain has fallen in the district the past few months, the index indicates Lampasas County is not in drought conditions.