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State control creeps closer to county
By Bill Hankins
Published November 17, 2008
State control of underground water apparently is inching closer to Lamar County as big cities around Dallas are growing increasingly thirsty.
That thirst has led to state moves that now have latched onto Fannin County.
When the drive to conserve water increased two years ago, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality quietly created a Priority Groundwater Management Area (PGMA) to cover the Trinity and Woodbine Aquifers.
Fannin County, along with Cooke, Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Grayson and Johnson were not included in the district.
Now state agencies apparently have decided local governments in those counties can not provide the type of groundwater regulation required to protect the water resources, and they have reached out to include them in the district.
District regulations now include requiring well permits, regulating spacing of wells and the transferring of groundwater out of the district.
TCEQ has said a PGMA must financially support itself and is statutorily charged and authorized to manage groundwater resources within their jurisdiction.
The PGMA has many powers, such as enacting rules requiring well permits, regulating spacing of wells and transferring groundwater out of the districts.
Residents with water wells can be required by state officials to place water meters on their existing wells and pay permitting fees for a new well.
A Groundwater Control District also must generate revenue, usually through a property tax or from well production fees or both,
Lamar County, just on the boundaries of the PGMA that includes Fannin County, has been told by the TCEQ it has plenty of water and will not have a problem that requires a PGMA, but increased interest by the City of Irving in Lamar County Water could change that designation.
“I think water is an extremely important issue, and will be one of the limiting factors on growth,” Lamar County Judge Chuck Superville said. “I just don’t know what the solutions are.”
Superville said there needs to be much discussion on water issues.
“I think if the problems are talked about long enough, they can work themselves out,” Superville said. This is much like they did with air pollution a few years ago. They wanted to put Lamar County in the same regulatory area as Dallas. Basically they were stealing our air, and that is ridiculous. We don’t have the same kind of air pollution.”
Superville said water now seems to be the issue, and state water officials may be trying to reach out beyond the area where water is a problem to take in areas where water is not a problem.
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