Leon County residents fear impact of proposed water wells in neighboring county

LEON COUNTY, Texas (KBTX) - Rural residents and officials across Central and East Texas are voicing strong opposition to a proposed plan that would pump more than 15 billion gallons of groundwater annually from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer.

The Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer supplies drinking water to thousands across rural Texas. County leaders warn that large-scale pumping from one area could reduce aquifer pressure regionwide, putting both private and public wells at risk.

Two companies— Redtown Ranch LLC and Pine Bluff LLC— have filed applications with the Neches & Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District to drill 30+ industrial wells in Anderson and Houston counties. The extracted groundwater would be piped elsewhere in the state; a move critics say puts local water supplies at risk.

“There’s no wall between counties. It’s the same aquifer,” Leon County Judge Byron Ryder pointed out. “Even though we have a lot of groundwater in Leon and Anderson [counties], they’re sucking directly. It’s going to affect Anderson, probably, more than us right this minute. But we want to be proactive and say that we’re definitely not for this at all.”

Judge Ryder said more than 1,000 formal objections have been filed ahead of the district’s June 19 deadline. Opponents argued the scale of the project could reduce aquifer pressure, affect private wells, and strain rural water systems across multiple counties including Leon, Madison, and Freestone.

Leon County rancher and business owner Thomas Davis said water access is deeply tied to both local agriculture and daily life.

“I think people don’t realize where our water really comes from and don’t appreciate the necessity it is,” shared Davis. “We take it for granted. But if you go to the sink and no water comes out, then what do you do?”

Davis, whose family has lived on the same land for generations, said the aquifer’s long-term health is critical to livestock operations and rural economies. He said he worries the impact may not be immediate, but it will be lasting.

“This may not affect me, but it’s going to affect my children and grandchildren,” Davis said. “When they start drawing on that aquifer, people around here could be without water.”

Opponents have also questioned why surface water solutions, such as building reservoirs or capturing runoff from rivers like the Trinity, aren’t being considered more seriously.

“Look at the Trinity River today, and it’s out of banks right now,” exemplified Davis. “There’s a lot of water going down that river. Where is it going? Out to the ocean. They could catch some of that water and utilize it for drinking water.”

Although the wells are not currently proposed in Leon County, several would sit near the Trinity River, which forms part of the county’s border. Judge Ryder said that location alone makes the project a concern.

“This could turn into a bad thing for all these counties,” he said. “We didn’t even know about it until it was published in a newspaper on May 20. Now we’re playing catch-up.”

The Neches & Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District will close its public contest period at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 19. Residents and officials from multiple counties have organized meetings, submitted filings, and urged others to participate before the deadline.

“Water is going to be more valuable than oil and gas,” suggested Judge Ryder. “We can live without gas. We can’t live without water.”

Contests may be filed online through the Neches & Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District.

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