The Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (District) has been awarded $298,000 through the Texas Water Development Board’s (TWDB) Groundwater Science, Research, and Data Collection Grants Program to develop a local numerical groundwater model that will support groundwater management in Hays and southern Travis counties.
The grant was approved out of a $3,564,449 appropriation by the Texas Legislature to advance groundwater research, science, and data collection while benefiting local groundwater management and planning, as well as the statewide groundwater science, data, and modeling objectives of the TWDB.
This project builds upon decades of District research and represents the next step in advancing the scientific tools used to evaluate groundwater supplies and support effective groundwater resource management and long-term planning to protect local water wells.
Building on Existing Science
The Trinity Aquifer serves as a critical water supply for municipal, domestic, agricultural, and environmental needs across the Hill Country. A portion of the aquifer lies within the District’s jurisdiction, making scientific understanding of the aquifer essential to effective groundwater management.
One of the District’s primary scientific tools, the Trinity Aquifer Sustainability (TAS) Model, has been developed and applied to improve understanding of groundwater conditions and springflow behavior. The TAS Model has provided an important conceptual foundation for evaluating groundwater availability and the relationship between groundwater pumping, water-level decline, and springflow response at key features such as Jacob’s Well and Pleasant Valley Spring.
The Next Step
Continued population growth, increased groundwater demand, and evolving policy needs require more advanced tools capable of evaluating groundwater availability under a range of future conditions.
To address these needs, the District is developing a locally calibrated MODFLOW 6 numerical groundwater model for the Trinity Aquifer that builds upon the District’s existing scientific foundation while remaining structurally compatible with the TWDB’s Southern Trinity Groundwater Availability Model.
The project would be the first locally developed groundwater model designed to interface directly with an official regional Groundwater Availability Model in Texas.
The model will advance the application of the best available science for groundwater management by providing a technically defensible platform for evaluating groundwater availability, assessing potential impacts of pumping on water levels and springflow, and supporting development of Trinity Sustainable Yield policy and other groundwater management strategies.
Regional Collaboration
The District will work with Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District and Southwestern Travis County Groundwater Conservation District throughout the project. Both districts will participate in technical discussions related to conceptual and numerical model development and data sharing.
“Working with our neighboring districts is a critical part of the process.” said Charlie Flatten, General Manager of the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District. “Groundwater doesn’t stop at district boundaries, and neither should the science that helps manage it.”
Benefits Across the Region
Beyond its direct benefits to the District, the project will contribute valuable scientific information to regional groundwater management efforts. The Trinity Aquifer extends beyond district and county boundaries, and groundwater conditions in one area can influence water levels, springflow, and aquifer response in neighboring jurisdictions. Improved modeling tools and scientific understanding will support more effective coordination with neighboring groundwater conservation districts and contribute to regional planning efforts conducted through the Groundwater Management Area process.