TAGD News

Media contact: Julia Stanford, julia@texasgroundwater.org Click here to download this article as a PDF.   Last week, the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District (North Plains GCD) secured a significant legal victory in federal court, affirming the district's authority to regulate groundwater production under its rules. This decision marks a major step forward in protecting the Ogallala Aquifer and strengthening groundwater management across Texas. The case originated from a lawsuit...

[an excerpt of this letter is included in the June 2024 issue of The Water Table] Dear members and groundwater friends, It has been an exciting four months as the new Executive Director here at TAGD. I am both inspired by and grateful for the support shown by the Executive Committee, staff, and members as we have made this transition in leadership. TAGD members are a wonderful group of groundwater professionals and it has been a humbling experience to witness firsthand the commitment and...

Contact: Julia Stanford, julia@texasgroundwater.org or 512-596-3101 At the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts (TAGD) business meeting on August 30, members awarded Scott Holland of Mertzon an Honorary Membership. The TAGD Honorary Membership recognizes Scott’s outstanding commitment to the organization and achievement in groundwater management. Scott Holland has served the groundwater community for over 30 years. He recently retired from his position as General Manager for both Irion...

At the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts (TAGD) business meeting on February 8, members awarded Joe B. Cooper an Honorary Membership. The TAGD Honorary Membership recognizes Cooper’s outstanding commitment to the organization and achievement in groundwater management. Joe B. Cooper retired from Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District in October 2021 after 18 years of dedicated service to the Texas groundwater community. He was President of TAGD in 2016 and 2017, and held other...

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is looking to fill gaps in its groundwater monitoring network. Here is a map that shows which counties they currently do not have any recorders (in gray). TWDB is primarily looking for sites located in these counties that may be eligible for recorder well equipment funded by TCEQ’s Supplemental Environmental Program funding. General criteria are: Unused water well (no pump) Water well with previous history/record of water levels Landowner consent to...

TAGD is hosting a webinar with TWDB at 11am on December 14 about the application process for the agricultural conservation grant program and successful GCD-related projects. Kyla Peterson (Agricultural Water Conservation Team Lead) will be the presenter, with brief testimonials from GCD grant recipients and welcoming remarks from TWDB Director Kathleen Jackson. Click here to learn more about the agricultural conservation grant program and click here to view application instructions. Click here...

Contact: Julia Stanford, julia@texasgroundwater.org or 512-596-3101 Greg Sengelmann was awarded an Honorary Membership to the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts (TAGD) at the TAGD business meeting in San Antonio by a unanimous vote on August 31, 2021. Greg Sengelmann served as the General Manager of Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District (GCUWCD) for 13 years. In this role he managed groundwater in a rapidly-growing area of Texas, including challenges related to brackish...

Media Contact: Julia Stanford, julia@texasgroundwater.org or 512-596-3101 C.E. Williams was awarded an Honorary Membership to the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts (TAGD) at the TAGD business meeting on August 31, 2021. After a unanimous vote approving the Honorary Membership, colleagues shared memories of C.E.’s illustrious career. C.E. Williams has been an esteemed force in groundwater management for decades in his role as the General Manager of Panhandle Groundwater Conservation...

Thanks to all who attended this webinar! Please click here to view the video recording, and click here to view the presentation slides.   The Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts is pleased to present a free educational webinar for TAGD members and the greater water community. Click here to download a flyer that you can distribute to any interested parties. OpenET Webinar December 8, 2020 3pm-4pm Click here to register for free! Presenters: Robyn Grimm, Environmental Defense Fund...

Recharge/Stream Baseflow Estimates Project - Central and West Texas TWDB has contracted with WSP and others to develop estimates of recharge and stream baseflow conditions (or groundwater-surface water interactions) for four major aquifers in Central and West Texas. The WSP team is requesting information from TAGD members to assist with the project. Additional details, including the types of information requested, are included here. Please respond with any relevant information...

TWDB has contracted with the WSP project team to develop procedures and tools that may be applied to more accurately map the buffer zones around the existing and future Class II injection wells that lie within identified brackish aquifers in the state. TWDB previously applied a conservative buffer of 15 miles around all Class II injection wells identified within mapped brackish aquifer zones.The WSP team is requesting information from TAGD members to assist with this project. You can see the...

TWDB has contracted with LRE Water, WSP, Thornhill Group, and Michelle Sutherland to improve the current estimated historical pumping rates both spatially and temporally for a large area extending from central to west Texas. GCDs can help improve future GAMs by offering any relevant pumping data not previously made public. Click here to view the full description of the project and request, and contact Mike Keester with any questions at mike.keester@lrewater.com.

Lindy Harris was awarded an Honorary Membership to the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts (TAGD) at the TAGD business meeting on May 27, 2020. Lindy Harris will retire in August 2020 after over 27 years with South Plains Underground Water Conservation District (South Plains UWCD) in Brownfield, TX. Starting as the district’s secretary in 1993 just months after its creation, Lindy soon came to be known as a passionate force in the community. From diligent faxing of district communications...

In response to the circumstances surrounding the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), TAGD has gathered relevant updates and resources for its members and the groundwater community. This information will be updated as needed, so feel free to bookmark this page. We hope these resources are helpful as you navigate challenging times. Note that this is not intended to be a comprehensive guide, it does not recommend any particular course of action or any service, nor does this constitute legal advice...

Jim Conkwright was awarded an Honorary Membership to the the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts (TAGD) at the TAGD business meeting on January 30, 2020. Left to right: C.E. Williams (General Manager of Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District), Jim Conkwright, and Leah Martinsson (Executive Director of TAGD) Hailing from Hereford, where he ran a purebred Hereford breeding operation, Jim Conkwright began his service to the groundwater community in 1979 as a board director at the High...

2018 marked 30 years since the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts (TAGD) was founded. In 1988, a group of 14 Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCDs) joined together with the objective of creating an organization that would serve as a resource to both GCDs and the public on groundwater issues. 30 years later, TAGD now represents 86 GCDs and over 40 associate members. For 30 years, TAGD’s mission has been to help members stay current on groundwater policy, science and management. It was...