Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation

News and Informaton

Upper Trinity GCD Monitoring Water Wells

Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District has a monitoring well program in place. A total of 108 water wells in the District's four counties (Montague, Wise, Parker, and Hood) are monitored on a quarterly basis.

Upper Trinity GCD Can Assist With Water Well Information

When it comes to water wells, Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District has information for residents wanting a new water well, as well as for those with existing wells.

Established by voters in Montague, Wise, Parker, and Hood counties in November 2007, Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (UTGCD) has a multi-faceted mission which includes ensuring availability and accessibility of groundwater for future generations. Success for this facet of the mission means new water wells must comply with the spacing requirements established by the eight-member UTGCD Board of Directors.

Spacing requirements are addressed on the UTGCD’s New Well Application, a form for residents wanting a new water well. Most water well drillers in the four-county District are familiar with the application and can greatly assist with its completion.

“One of the first steps for a landowner wanting a new water well on his or her property is to find a driller. The New Well Application has some questions which can easily be answered by the driller,” explained Dr. Bob Patterson, UTGCD general manager. “Plus, the New Well Application must be signed by both the driller and the landowner.”

The New Well Application asks for information such as well owner name and contact information, well site location, and questions that pertain to the District’s spacing requirements. Currently, the District’s spacing requirements are the new well site must be two acres or more, be 50 feet from the property line, and be 150 feet from an existing well. If these spacing requirements cannot be met, the District may grant an exception to these rules so that the water well can be drilled. (Specific criteria must be met for the exception to be granted.)

For the New Well Application, registration is $175 and the driller must also submit a $100 deposit. If the application requires an exception to the District rules, there is an additional $50 refundable exception filing deposit.

“Once the District receives the New Well Application, and it is administratively complete, then we have up to five business days to grant an approval for the application,” Patterson added. “For the application to be administratively complete it needs the appropriate signatures, fees paid, and any additional information that’s requested by the District.”

Residents who already have a water well can voluntarily register their well with the District. Registering the well with UTGCD protects the well’s groundwater supply by minimizing well interference conflicts.

“When your well is registered, the District can limit new wells in close proximity. But first, the District has to know where your well is located,” Patterson said. “Your well has to be a dot on our map.”

Well owners can complete and submit an Existing Well Application. There is no fee to register an existing water well.

The Existing Well Application requires much of the same information as requested on the New Well Application, such as well owner’s name and contact information, the well site address, and information about its drilling date and depth. The well owner may not have all the information for the application, but they should answer as many questions as possible before submitting it to UTGCD.

“One key piece of information on the Existing Well Application is the GPS coordinates for the well’s location,” Patterson added. “However, if the well owner does not have these coordinates, then one of our field staff can come out and gather that data.”

The New Well Application and the Existing Well Application may be downloaded from the UTGCD’s website, or residents may call the UTGCD office and request the application be faxed or mailed.

The UTGCD main office is located at 1250 E. Highway 199 in Springtown. Business hours are 8 a.m. to noon, and from 1 to 5 p.m. The phone number is 817-523-5200, and the fax number is 817-523-7687.

UTGCD also operates satellite offices in Montague and Hood counties between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. In Bowie, the office is open Fridays and is located at 506 Pelham. In Granbury, the office is open Tuesdays and is located in Annex Building 2, 201 W. Bridge St. Anyone planning to visit one of the satellite offices is encouraged to arrange an appointment time.

For more information about UTGCD and its rules, mission, forms, conservation tips, etc., visit online at HYPERLINK "http://www.uppertrinitygcd.com" www.uppertrinitygcd.com.

New Type Of ‘Farming’ May Affect Groundwater

While North Texas’ farming history is extensive, a new type of “farming” is gaining the attention of area residents.

Land farming is a technique for waste disposal involving the spreading of wastes on the land surface, explained Dr. Bob Patterson, general manager of the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (UTGCD). Typically, land farming is performed in areas adjacent to reserve pits used in the oil and gas industry.

Patterson pointed out that the “farmed” land is then tilled and seeded with in-situ bacteria which eventually biodegrades the waste material. The growing plants absorb portions of the chemicals found in the water from the pits. This farming system controls waste migration and provides a safe means of disposal without impairing the potential of the land for future use, according to the Texas Railroad Commission, the state agency which regulates land farming and reserve pits.

UTGCD is a voter-approved agency which has developed rules for protecting existing water wells. The issue of land farming is one that is closely monitored by the District. UTGCD serves Montague, Wise, Parker, and Hood counties.

Research into the effectiveness of land farming in reducing the concentrations of hazardous chemicals in soils has been determined through numerous studies. UTGCD’s consultant Intera has found general conclusions drawn from this research suggest that land farming can be used to reduce waste concentrations with greater reduction when four aspects are considered: the thickness of the waste layer added to the soil is low relative to the depth to which the soil is regularly tilled; the ability of the tilled soil to absorb and retain water; the amount of water and fertilizer added to the tilled soil; and the natural presence of waste-decomposing microbes in the soil.

However, many studies have noted that crop growth is depleted on land farmed plots which received thicker layers of water material, or where irrigation and fertilizer applications are minimal and soil tillage was less frequent. Also, in many cases, the crops grown afterward are toxic to humans and livestock.

UTGCD is concerned about the potential for groundwater contamination due to land reserve pit operations, Patterson added.

UTGCD is developing a plan for overseeing reserve pit closures within the District without trying to take on the role of the primary regulatory agency. The District is also reviewing a plan to monitor shallow groundwater downgradient of some very large or a dense collection of these pits. For more information on the subject of land farming or reserve pits, contact the District office at 817-523-5200.