Water District Adopts New Rules
After a public hearing at which no one appeared, the Glasscock County Underground Water Conservation District Board of Directors on June 20 voted to change some of its rules and bylaws.
There are several changes to Rule 21. One requires a transfer permit for a well capable of producing more than 25,000 gallons per day of water that will be transported outside the district. Also, all wells drilled within the district will be permitted or registered and the district has the right to inspect wells, locations and distances. There is an application processing fee, and there are criteria for the district’s board of directors to limit the amount of water that may be transported outside the district.
Other changes: drilling logs must be turned in to the district office by the person having the well drilled and/or by water well drillers within 60 days of completion and an operator must comply with plugging or capping requirements within 30 days.
All changes to the district’s rules and by-laws are available in the GCUWCD office in Garden City.
Abuses of spacing exemptions for water wells under 18 gallons per minute are a concern to the district directors, who are contemplating eliminating those exemptions at some point in the future.
GCUWCD Manager Rick Harston cautions that new oil and gas leases should guard against unrestricted use of groundwater.