Citing declining aquifer conditions, the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) Friday declared Stage 5 Critical Period Management (CPM) for groundwater permit holders in its San Antonio Pool, which includes Comal and Hays counties.
This is the first time the regulatory agency has implemented Stage 5 drought restrictions.
The 10-day average at the J-17 index well is 624.7 feet above mean sea level. Stage 5 is triggered when the Bexar County well drops below 625 feet. The last time the level at the J-17 index well was this low was June 1990.
The only other time levels were lower was in 1956 during Texas’s “drought of record.”
Today’s 10-day average at Comal Springs is 53 cubic feet per second (cfs) and the San Marcos Springs’ 10-day average is 86 cfs.
According to EAA data, the measured water level in the J-17 index well in Bexar County is 33 feet below the historical average (as of May 23), the rate of spring flow at Comal Springs is 242 cfs below the historic average, and San Marcos Springs is 98 cfs below the historic average (as of May 22).
CPM Stage 5 for the San Antonio Pool reduces the annual authorized withdrawal amounts available to affected Edwards groundwater permit holders by 44 percent.
These reductions apply to all Edwards Aquifer groundwater permit holders authorized to pump more than three acre-feet annually.
They include industrial and agricultural users as well as water utilities authorized to pump water from the aquifer for delivery to their customers.
Friday’s announcement does not immediately affect residential users, who are advised to follow guidelines issued by their water providers.
Click here to see EAA’s Friday press release.
The EAA is a groundwater conservation district that manages, enhances, and protects the Edwards Aquifer, a major groundwater system serving over two million South Central Texans. EAA’s jurisdiction spans eight counties, including Uvalde, Medina, Bexar, and parts of Atascosa, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Comal, and Hays counties.
