Georgetown groundwater contract not impacted by lawsuit settlement
Georgetown’s water transportation contract with utility provider EPCOR remains intact after a lawsuit involving the Brazos Valley Groundwater District — which allocates the groundwater water to the utility company — was resolved over the summer.
The groundwater would come from the Simsboro Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer near the Bryan-College Station metro.
The Texas A&M University system sued the Brazos Valley Groundwater District in an attempt to prevent the district from selling water to other entities so the water could be kept in the region.
Based on the ruling, water export volume cannot exceed 50,000 acrefeet per year, and permit terms cannot exceed 30 years. The amount of water that Georgetown is working to reserve with EPCOR is less than the maximum collective export volume and in compliance with the ruling.
“This ruling will not impact a contract with EPCOR in any way,” said Caroline Stewart, strategic projects manager for the city. “Given the city’s decision to sell a large portion of our water service territory, the city will not need more than 40,000 acre-feet of groundwater long term, so these limits won’t come into play.”
Through the approved contract, Georgetown would receive about 32-40 million gallons per day of treated groundwater. It would cost Georgetown an estimated $5.9 million a year to reserve the water.
As part of the ruling, there will be a staggered increase in the maximum amount that can be exported from the groundwater district by landowners. Before January 1, 2034, landowners can’t export more than 23,000 acre-feet a year from the district. Between January 1, 2034 and January 1, 2039 landowners can’t export more than 39,000 acre-feet a year from the district.
Ms. Stewart said when thinking about pumping limits generally, the city would consider any upper limits before signing a contract.
“We would not enter into a contract unless the permits authorize pumping and transport to meet the city’s requirements,” she said.