PGCD District Rules as Adopted November 16, 2020 with Proposed Amendments for December 20, 2021 Rulemaking Hearing

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

December 20, 2021

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all interested persons in Ellis, Hill, Johnson, and Somervell Counties, Texas:

That the Board of Directors (“Board”) of the Prairielands Groundwater Conservation District (“District”) will hold a public hearing, accept public comment, and may act to adopt amendments to the District Rules regulating water wells within the boundaries of the District, including Ellis, Hill, Johnson, and Somervell Counties, Texas. The Board adopted permanent District Rules on December 17, 2018, and has subsequently amended them. The current proposed amendments to the District Rules address a number of issues, including without limitation the following: 1) requiring any well that is equipped with a variable frequency drive that is capable of being set in a manner that would allow the well to operate at a production capacity higher than authorized by the District to be equipped with a flow restrictor that mechanically restricts the production capacity of the well at the wellhead to the authorized amount; 2) changing the deadline to drill, equip, complete or substantially alter a well from one hundred twenty (120) days to one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of approval of the well registration or permit; 3) eliminating temporary transitional rules provisions that have expired; 4) changing the meter reading and Water Production Report due dates from the 15^th day to the 10^th day of each month; 5) allowing semiannual meter reading and water production reporting for small well owners that are not public water systems and that produce no more than 10,000,000 gallons annually; 6) eliminating the use of a geographic weighted centroid to calculate the minimum spacing distances from property lines and from existing wells; 7) allowing the General Manager to approve exceptions to the minimum well spacing requirements in certain instances; 8) establishing minimum spacing requirements between new small-capacity wells and existing wells, and clarifying spacing requirements for new large-capacity wells from existing wells on the same property; 9) clarifying provisions for the drilling of a test well; 10) increasing the required minimum tract size for a single domestic well serving two or more households; 11) establishing certain requirements for pump installers and well owners relating to equipping a well; 12) clarifying requirements regarding well screening and completion based on the information provided in the approved application for a registration or permit; 13) clarifying the calculation of contiguous controlled acreage for Operating Permits for retail public utilities based on the type of certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN) held by the retail public utility; 14) amending the provisions in the District rules relating to compliance orders; 15) establishing a minimum threshold and other limitations for eligibility for the monthly water use fee payment option; 16) amending the General Manager’s authority to enter into settlements for rules violations; 17) establishing permitting requirements and increased fees for average system water loss by public water systems above certain percentages to prevent waste and promote water conservation; and 18) other non-substantive clarifying and conforming changes.

This hearing will be held on Monday, December 20, 2021, beginning at 9:00 a.m., at the District office located at 208 Kimberly Dr, Cleburne, Texas 76031. Any person who desires to appear at the hearing and present comment or other information on the proposed adoption of amendments to the District Rules may do so in person, by legal representative, or both. Comments may be presented verbally or in written form. Limits may be placed on the amount of time that each person is allowed to present verbal comments. Persons interested in submitting written comments on the proposed amendments may do so by email to kjones@prairielandsgcd.org or by mail or in person to 208 Kimberly Dr, Cleburne, Texas 76031. The Board may act to adopt the amendments to the rules as proposed or with additional changes based upon comments received and discussion at the hearing. The hearing posted in this notice may be recessed from day to day or continued where appropriate.

The public hearing is available to all persons regardless of disability. If you require special assistance to attend the hearing, please contact the Prairielands Groundwater Conservation District at (817) 556-2299 at least 24 hours in advance of the hearing.

A copy of the proposed amendments to the District Rules may be requested by email at kjones@prairielandsgcd.org, is available for reviewing or downloading at www.prairielandsgcd.org, and may be reviewed, inspected, or obtained in person at the District office located at 208 Kimberly Dr, Cleburne, Texas 76031. For more information, contact the District’s General Manager, Kathy Turner Jones, at (817) 556-2299.