County funding for the Saratoga Underground Water Conservation District could hinge on the district making changes to what classifies as an exempt well.
The Lampasas County Commissioners Court has considered giving the district a $37,500 increase in annual funding to help it better comply with state law and learn more about the county’s aquifer levels. Precinct 4 Commissioner Mark Rainwater, however, has expressed concerns about yearly fees charged for non-exempt wells on noncommercial properties.
In 2024, the Saratoga UWCD revised its rules for exempt and nonexempt wells. Wells on tracts over 10 acres became exempt, while wells on tracts 10 acres or less used for domestic purposes, livestock or poultry watering and producing less than 25,000 gallons a day became non-exempt. An exempt well requires only a $500 well registration fee and, if needed, a $250 spacing exception application. There is no annual renewal fee.
Previously, the rule stated wells on tracts of land larger than two acres that produced no more than 25,000 gallons of water per day and were solely used for livestock or poultry purposes were considered exempt from district permits.
At the Commissioners Court meeting Aug. 10, Rainwater said he had learned of a county resident who was deeded six acres from a larger piece of family property. To obtain a well, the individual had to pay $500 for a drilling permit, $500 for an operating application and a yearly renewal fee of $500. A meter also was installed on the well.
Saratoga UWCD has not been collecting fees on non-exempt wells due to limited resources, but board members have indicated fees could become a possible revenue stream to help the district perform its duties, which include learning more about the county’s desired future conditions.
Rainwater said yearly fees should be aimed primarily at commercial properties rather than non-commercial or domestic wells.
Under the district’s fee schedule, non-exempt wells used for purposes other than domestic or livestock/poultry watering are charged $1,500 for a drilling permit, $1,500 for an operating application and $1,500 for the annual renewal. Wells producing 25,000 gallons or more per day are charged $3,500 for each of those three fees.
Rainwater, along with Commissioners Bobby Carroll and Jamie Smart, said the yearly fee is excessive and indicated they would not support additional funding if that was the direction the district was heading.
“If someone deeds property from a larger place to a smaller place, there needs to be some kind of exemption or exception there,” Rainwater told the Dispatch Record. “I’m going to use our subdivision rules and regulations as an example. “The state tells us that if it goes from a family member to a family member, it is not a subdivision. It is just separation of property between family, and that’s it. I think water needs to be on the same page as far as drilling the wells.”
In June, commissioners held a joint meeting with the Saratoga UWCD to understand why the district requires additional funding from the county. Some Lampasas County residents have expressed support for increasing the county’s yearly allotment, which the court has not yet approved.
“We, the Commissioners Court, have heard loud and clear that we need to support Saratoga Underground Water Conservation District,” County Judge Randy Hoyer said. “But we’ve also heard loud and clear that they don’t feel they need to be doing annual renewal fees on noncommercial properties.”
Last Monday, Rainwater, Hoyer, Saratoga UWCD Board President Paul Cline and Director Stan Wilson held a subcommittee meeting to discuss the court’s concerns. Cline said the meeting was productive and that the board plans to discuss possible changes to exemption rules.
“I think there needs to be an open line of communication because obviously the commissioners are more in touch with the people in their precincts and how they are feeling about things more so than us,” Cline said. “We need that open dialogue between the commissioners and water district because we are all working toward the same goal.”
If commissioners agree to bump the district’s funding from $12,500 to $50,000, it would allow Saratoga UWCD to carry out its state-mandated duties, including monitoring aquifer levels, updating its groundwater management plan, and better enforcing well permitting and registration requirements.
“That funding will get us able to perform our basic duties, to basically keep the state off our back,” Cline said. “That is the way it was explained to us as a board. There are certain requirements we need to meet, and where we are at, we are not able to meet all those requirements.”
Saratoga UWCD Director-at-Large Mike Watson is unsure whether the district should change its well-exemption rules.
He believes it is important for the district to know how many “straws” are being developed in Lampasas County.
“We recently changed it to make it a non-exempt well, and I supported that decision,” Watson said.
“Saratoga made a rule change to restore our rules to that 10-acre limit, which is the state limit. By the way, Burnet County just changed to that limit.”
Watson said his mind could be changed through public persuasion or by the Commissioners Court.
He and the rest of the Saratoga UWCD board are expected to discuss possible changes at Friday’s meeting scheduled for noon in the county annex conference room.