The Prairielands Groundwater Conservation District was created in 2009 by the 81st Texas Legislature with a directive to conserve, protect and enhance the groundwater resources of Ellis, Johnson, Hill and Somervell Counties in Texas.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality designated a large area over the Trinity Aquifer from the Red River to Central Texas as a Priority Groundwater Management Area (PGMA) due to the critical groundwater declines facing the area.