31 Tex. Admin. Code § 356.52 - Required Content of Management Plan

(a) A management plan must contain, unless explained in detail as not applicable, the following elements:

(1) Management goals:

(A) providing the most efficient use of groundwater;

(B) controlling and preventing waste of groundwater;

(C) controlling and preventing subsidence;

(D) addressing conjunctive surface water management issues;

(E) addressing natural resource issues which impact the use and availability of groundwater, and which are impacted by the use of groundwater;

(F) addressing drought conditions;

(G) addressing conservation, recharge enhancement, rainwater harvesting, precipitation enhancement and brush control, where appropriate and cost-effective; and

(H) addressing the desired future conditions adopted by the district under Texas Water Code § 36.108;

(2) Management objective(s) for each management goal. Management objectives are specific, measurable, and time-based statements of future outcomes that the district will use to achieve each management goal in paragraph (1) of this subsection. Each future outcome must be the result of actions that can be taken by the district during the five years following the effective date of the adopted management plan;

(3) Performance standard(s) for each management objective. Performance standards are indicators or measures used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of district activities. Evaluation of the effectiveness of district activities measures the performance of the district. Evaluation of the efficiency of district activities measures how well district resources are used to produce an output, such as the amount of resources devoted for each management action;

(4) Details of how the district will manage groundwater supplies in the district, including a methodology by which the district will track its progress in achieving its management goals. At least one goal must be tracked on an annual basis; however, other goals may be defined and tracked over a longer time period as appropriate;

(5) The actions, procedures, performance, and avoidance that are or may be necessary by the district to effect the plan, including specifications and proposed rules;

(6) Estimates of the following:

(A) modeled available groundwater in the district as provided by the executive administrator based on the desired future condition established under Texas Water Code § 36.108;

(B) the amount of groundwater being used within the district on an annual basis taken from either the water use survey data provided by the executive administrator or the district's own estimate;

(C) the annual amount of recharge from precipitation, if any, to each aquifer within the district, as provided by the executive administrator;

(D) the annual volume of water that discharges from each aquifer within the district to springs and any surface water bodies, including lakes, streams, and rivers, as provided by the executive administrator;

(E) the annual volume of flow into and out of the district within each aquifer and between aquifers in the district, as provided by the executive administrator;

(F) the projected surface water supply in the district according to the most recently adopted state water plan; and

(G) the projected water demand for water in the district according to the most recently adopted state water plan; and

(7) Details of the district's consideration of:

(A) Water supply needs within the district according to the most recently adopted state water plan, emphasizing those needs that impact groundwater supply within the district; and

(B) Water management strategies sourced from within the district boundaries according to the most recently adopted state water plan, emphasizing strategies that are or will be impacted by district actions.

(b) The management goals, management objectives, and performance standards required in subsection (a)(1), (2), and (3) of this section must be consistent with the established desired future conditions of the district's groundwater management area(s).

(c) Estimates required in subsection (a)(5) of this section must be developed with groundwater availability modeling information provided by the executive administrator in conjunction with the district's best available site-specific information and data.

Notes

31 Tex. Admin. Code § 356.52

The provisions of this §356.52 adopted to be effective December 31, 2012, 37 TexReg 10238; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 50, Number 01, January 3, 2025, TexReg 0185, eff. 1/6/2025