On the Water Front

Removing the mystery of groundwater to protect Texas’ beloved Hill Country

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Published: April 26, 2022

What makes the Texas Hill Country unique? In my mind, it comes down to one thing: groundwater. It is impossible to overstate the importance of groundwater to this region, because without it, the Hill Country would not be the region we know and love.

It is the beauty and abundance of the Hill Country’s water resources that have attracted people here for thousands of years.

As the recently published State of the Hill Country Report reveals, the region is on the verge of becoming a victim of its own success as people are moving to the Hill Country in droves for its beauty and high quality of life. The report introduces eight key metrics to help track the region’s health and guide decisions that will determine whether the region will continue to thrive or live beyond its means.

Unfortunately, current levels of groundwater pumping threaten to dry up rivers and springs as the Hill Country heads down the second path of living beyond its means.

As local movements for groundwater protection rise, will state leaders finally respond?

By Christopher Kuzdas / Published: April 13, 2022

Across Arizona, the consequences of unlimited groundwater pumping are becoming untenable for many communities. In response, Arizona state Rep. Regina Cobb, R-Kingman, has introduced legislation, for the third year in a row, to enable rural communities to manage their groundwater through a new opt-in program called Rural Management Areas (RMAs).

Although the bill again did not receive a committee hearing, this year is very different from the past. Over the last several months, more residents and local stakeholders are becoming engaged and organized around water security and water self-determination, getting mobilized in local settings like town halls, community meetings, and even residents’ living rooms and porches. It has become clear that the people of rural Arizona no longer accept being ignored on water issues at the state level. Here are a few recent examples:

Residents in Cochise County, fed up with state inaction to address unfettered groundwater pumping, have submitted signatures for a ballot measure to ask voters to approve a new Active Management Area (AMA) in the Willcox Basin in a local election in November. They are now gathering signatures for a second AMA in the Douglas Basin.
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Also posted in Arizona, Colorado River, Community, Drought / Tagged active management area, arizona drought, arizona drought contingency plan, arizona groundwater, arizona water authority, drought, rural management areas, SGMA | Authors: ckuzdas / Leave a comment

Welcome to the first edition of On the Water Front, the new blog and newsletter of EDF’s Water Program

By Maurice Hall / Published: March 22, 2022

World Water Day Groundwater Image

Welcome to the new monthly e-newsletter from EDF’s Climate Resilient Water Systems team. It seemed fitting to launch this effort on World Water Day because the theme this year aligns so closely with our work: “Groundwater — Making the Invisible, Visible.”

Over these past two challenging years, the pandemic, my own health issues and family needs have highlighted some major flaws in our health care system that reminded me of … groundwater. When a crisis arrives, our response can be quick, aggressive and sometimes even highly effective. This same system isn’t as good at long-term health — supporting the patient in their ongoing well-being, anticipating possible or even likely future conditions, and taking actions in advance to avoid a crisis.

I see a similar pattern in how we manage our groundwater. When there’s an obvious crisis from groundwater depletion (wells going dry, land subsidence or saltwater intrusion, for instance), we jump to action, attempting to treat a long-declining patient with a single surgical procedure. Sure, we need these procedures, but often we do them without the support of the whole health care system.

Also posted in Agriculture, Drought / Authors: mhall / Leave a comment