Spring - Klein Edition | March 2023

growth and development as well as the use of groundwater from aquifers. Wells can be drilled into an aquifer—a large, underground water-bearing rock—and water can then be pumped out for residential and industrial use. According to the USGS report, which covers a new model created to study land displacement and the ow of groundwater from 1897-2018, the Jasper Aquifer accounts for 16% of the subsidence occurring in the Spring area. The aquifer is the lowermost primary aquifer of the larger Gulf Coast Aquifer System, which provides groundwater for much of the Greater Houston area, according to USGS. Parts of Spring saw among the greatest rates of subsidence in the Greater Houston area from 2016-20, according to UH’s report. These parts of Spring also saw among the fastest rates of sinking. A sinking rate of 1.37 centimeters per year was observed near I-45 and the Grand Parkway from March 2016 to December 2020, according to UH’s report. Ellis also identied I-45 and FM 1960—near the Cypress Station area—as a subsidence hotspot in the Cypress Creek watershed that showed 5 feet of subsidence from about the 1930s-2021. Ellis said the hotspot near I-45 and the Grand Parkway is “SUBSIDENCE IS AN IMPORTANT PHENOMENON TO DOCUMENT AND STUDY … IT CAN RESULT IN PERMANENT LOSS OF LAND, INCREASED RISK OF FLOODING AND DAMAGE TO INFRASTRUCTURE.” JOHN ELLIS, CHIEF OF GULF COAST STUDIES FOR THE OKLAHOMA TEXAS WATER SCIENCE CENTER

subsidence is a one-way trip. Once it’s compressed, it’s not coming back up.” To prevent subsidence from worsening, HGSD set pumping requirements for all water suppliers in Harris and Galveston counties in 2013. The NHCRWA is required under the plan to reduce groundwater usage to no more than 40% of its total water supply by 2025, according to the HGSD’s regulatory plan. “We expect those subsidence rates to come down to near zero as we implement this plan,” Turco said.

experiencing less total subsidence— about 4 feet—than the Cypress Station hotspot because it has not undergone development for as long. Development leads to more ground- water pumping to meet water needs, said Mike Turco, who is the general manager for the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, which regulates groundwater and monitors subsidence in Harris and Galveston counties. “As you add more people, you add more businesses, you’re going to have more needs for water resources, and diversifying those sources from groundwater to an alternative like surface water helps the subsidence issue and prevents subsidence for us,” Turco said. Data from HGSD shows subsidence has contributed to ooding across the Greater Houston area. However, Turco said a study on the impact of subsidence in the Cypress Creek watershed has not yet been done. The Jasper Aquifer accounts for most, if not all, of the drinking water in northern Harris County, Turco said. Experts warned excessive groundwater pumping will make ood mitigation more di¦cult in areas across the Greater Houston area where it is already challenging. “These [ooding events] are in the same areas where we are seeing subsidence rates at 1 1/2 to 3 centimeters per year,” Turco said.

In addition to worsening ooding, subsidence also contributes to changes in drainage patterns, fault movement, and damages to wells and pipelines, according to the HGSD. Alternative sources Although the conditions that cause subsidence can be lessened if residents cut groundwater usage and switch to alternative water sources, the eects of subsidence are permanent, said Robert Mace, water policy director at Texas State University. “If you reduce your pumping, you can then decrease the maximum subsidence that would have occurred,” he said. “But for the most part, land

For more information, visit communityimpact.com .

Parts of north Spring saw signicant rates of land depression—dubbed subsidence— from 2016-20, according to geological studies released in January and August. The most subsidence was recorded near the intersection of I-45 and the Grand Parkway.

CENTIMETERS OF DISPLACEMENT

-8.97 to -2.75 -1.75 to -1.25 -0.45 to -0.20

-2.45 to -1.75 -0.85 to -0.45 -0.10 to -0.00

-2.75 to -2.45 -1.25 to -0.85 -0.20 to -0.10

99 TOLL

4.2 feet of land displacement, on average, was observed in the Spring area from 1906-2021. 1.37 centimeters of land displacement per year was observed in parts of north Spring from 2016-20. 16% of land displacement in the Spring area is due to water use from the Jasper Aquifer.

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1960

SOURCES: SHUHAB KHAN, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, JOHN ELLIS, OKLAHOMATEXAS WATER SCIENCE CENTER COMMUNITY IMPACT

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SPRING KLEIN EDITION • MARCH 2023