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The Fort Bend Subsidence
District was created by the
Texas Legislature in 1989 as a
conservation and reclamation
district (Act of May 26, 1989,
71st Leg., R.S., ch. 1045, 1989
Tex. Gen. Laws 4251). The
District's purpose is to provide
for the regulation of the
withdrawal of groundwater within
the District to prevent
subsidence that contributes to
flooding, inundation or overflow
of areas within the District,
including rising waters
resulting from storms or
hurricanes, The District's
boundaries are defined as all
the territory within Fort Bend
county Although Fort Bend
county had experienced only
small amounts of subsidence
prior to the 1980's several
characteristics of the area
raise concern about the
potential for increasing
subsidence in the future:
Currently, total water
use in the District is
comprised of 60% groundwater
and 40% surface water; the
surface water, however, is
primarily used for
manufacturing and
agricultural uses. The
District was formed to
address measured impacts
from the predominant use of
groundwater. In addition to
the moderate, but
noticeable, amounts of
subsidence, the heavy
dependence of groundwater
has resulted in declining
water levels in wells in the
aquifers. Groundwater levels
in wells drawing from the
Chicot and Evangeline
Aquifers in the eastern part
of the District have
declined in excess of of 150
feet from 1943 to 1977.
These declines have resulted
in increased operational
costs to well users. The
District regularly analyzes
the adequacy of previous
District policies to meet
its enabling legislation.
The District's Groundwater
Management Plan provides
background planning
information, descriptions of
current groundwater
regulatory practices and
programs, and an overview of
District administrative
operations. That Document
should assist the District's
regulated community and the
Texas Water Development
Board (TWDB) in
understanding the historical
direction and proposed
future objectives of the
District. The Mission
of the District is to
control land subsidence and
manage groundwater resources
through regulation,
conservation, and
coordination with suppliers
of alternative water sources
to assure an adequate
quantity and quality of
water for the future. The
District performs the
following activities
directed toward fulfilling
this mission by:
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Technical research,
measurements, and
studies to determine and
project the extent of
subsidence and available
groundwater supplies.
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Preparation of
regulatory and
management plans based
on current, technically
sound information.
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Issuance of permits
to withdraw groundwater
for beneficial uses in
amounts that are not
detrimental to the
aquifer system.
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Pursuit of
enforcement actions,
when needed, to achieve
the objectives of the
District.
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Participating with
other local and state
entities to achieve the
District's goals
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Assessment of permit
fees as a regulatory
tool.
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Cooperation with
neighboring groundwater
districts, governmental
entities, and surface
water suppliers to
assure that adequate
supplies of water are
available for future
use.
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Providing the public
with access to
information about
groundwater withdrawal,
subsidence,
conservation, and
actions of the District.
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Administration and
operation of the
District in a fair,
equitable, and
responsible manner to
the benefit of all
interests in the
District.
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