Discussion on wells that would pull water from East Texas aquifer to head to state office

JACKSONVILLE, Texas (KLTV) — Hundreds gathered at Jacksonville City Hall Thursday in a debate on whether or not to allow two private companies to pull billions of gallons of water from a major aquifer in East Texas.

The companies, Pine Bliss, LLC and Redtown Ranch Holdings, LLC applied for permits to build wells in order to take water from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer.

The Neches Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District held a meeting at Jacksonville City Hall to discuss the issue, with many speaking against the decision. Tuesday, Smith County joined the fight against the action, following the Athens city mayor’s letter of dissent to the conservation district.

Texas Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine) spoke, calling for a hearing in Austin on July 15 to investigate the matter and the decision to hold the meeting after legislation.

”This is of such great state importance, that the legislature should weigh in, on whether or not one property owner should be able to export 30,000 acre feet of water to another area,“ Harris said. ”I don’t think that’s ever what the legislature has ever intended.”

An SOAH (State Office of Administrative Hearings) hearing will be held in East Texas sometime after 90 days from Thursday’s meeting. This decision gives residents and cities time to come up with their own research and data to support how they feel about the matter.

That hearing will then allow cities and residents with wells to make their case and be cross examined. Finally, a summary of the hearing will then be given to the Neches Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District for them to make a decision on if they will approve or deny the wells.

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