Changes to Water Well Regulations Here Aim for Conservation

The Fayette County Groundwater Conservation District (FCGCD) updated its regulations for drilling water wells in Fayette County. FCGCD General Manager David Van Dresar presented a summary of the new rules to the Fayette County Commissioners Court last Thursday, May 28.

One important change involves wells exempt from permitting requirements. The new regulations clarify that exempt wells are for domestic or livestock use only, and that there may only be one exempt well for every 10 acres. In addition, exempt wells must be equipped so that they’re incapable of producing more than 25,000 gallons of water per day.

The FCGCD board of directors also placed a limitation on the maximum allowable production for tracts of land smaller than 10 acres. These rules apply to wells registered after May 6, 2026. For tracts of land between six and ten acres, the maximum allowable production is 15 gallons per minute (gpm). For tracts between two and six acres the limit is 13 gpm. For tracts two acres or less the limit is 10 gpm.

Van Dresar said those limits apply to production at the wellhead. He said property owners can alleviate the restrictions by installing storage and larger pressure tanks.

“If you want to water your lawn, take a shower, bathe the dog, wash the dishes, and wash the clothes at the same time, we’re talking about taxing the system a little bit,” he said. “But again, that comes back to storage and the pressure tank.”

Van Dresar said the FCGCD Board of Directors also implemented a new rule regarding permitted largescale groundwater pumping projects. This rule applies to well fields that would produce more than 5,000 acre-feet of groundwater a year.

“We do not have any of these in Fayette County now, nor do we look to have any at any time in the near future,” he said. “But we have put in regulations regarding those type of well fields.”

If a developer or some urban municipal water supply wanted to drill such a largescale production facility, they would have to install monitoring wells around the perimeter of the field. Baseline measurements would be made, and then those wells would be monitored and reported periodically to the FCGCD. Van Dresar said triggers would be put in place to reduce production of the well field if the District determines that the aquifer has lowered.

“We have very good working relationships with the well drillers and the pump installers that do business in Fayette County,” Van Dresar said. “They’re very cognizant of our rules, and we’ve heard from many of them regarding these changes. Most of them are positive.”