BY ELISABETH JIMENEZ
Zooming in
Well water levels
Flatten said that less rain paired with the growth of both counties contributes to the issue. Wells rely on adequate aquifer levels to re ll, but with more development comes more demand. This can prevent the aquifer from recharging at a rate su cient to support residences and businesses, said Jim Blair, owner of well drilling service Bee Cave Drilling. Demand is also not shared evenly, with larger commercial businesses requiring more water for operations, he said. People may have to drill deeper into the aquifer if their well is at a dry spot, Blair said. This can be expensive, creating a barrier to accessing water. “As long as you have enough money, you can have all the water you need,” he said. However, drilling deeper is not a long-term solution, Flatten said, as the “aquifer doesn’t go to the center of the Earth.”
Wells across Hays County are seeing an overall trend of lower water levels, which could cause the need to drill deeper or bring in water trucks. Driftwood Henly Northwest Dripping Springs Dripping Springs
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SOURCE: HAYS TRINITY GROUNDWATER DISTRICT COMMUNITY IMPACT
Going forward
Topiwala who are part of the project said rainwater catching and understanding native plants can allow people to take advantage of rainfall. Permaculture refers to a type of land management that mimics natural ecosystems. “We’re just like, ‘Oh, great, it’s raining,’ but yet, what’s happening to that water?” she said. “It’s just taking what little topsoil we have and just running o and it’s gone.” Topiwala said being intentional about water conservation and land management can help
mitigate the issues with water availability. “We’re just groups of people who care about the environment that want to see better stewardship of the land that we live on, that way our wells don’t dry o ,” he said. The future of water availability in Hays County could be impacted by bills currently in the Texas Legislative session. This includes a bill that would increase revenue for HTGCD, while another would decrease regulation of groundwater wells serving the public.
Residents and local businesses are working on solutions such as smaller-scale rainwater harvesting and planting native species in the wake of water availability issues. Dripping Springs Big Country neighbors are working on an initiative to rehydrate the land through rainfall catchment and planting native species. These methods can help reduce reliance on wells and have people use plants better suited for their climate. Resident Annie Spade and permaculturalist Kiran
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