PECAN VALLEY GROUNDWATER
CONSERVATON DISTRICT
DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN
Adopted
In an effort to conserve, preserve and protect the groundwater
resources of
.
Section I:
Definition of Terms
For the purposes of this Plan, the following definitions shall
apply:
Aesthetic water use: water use for ornamental or
decorative purposes such as fountains, reflecting pools, and water gardens.
Agricultural water use: as defined under Section
36.001(20), (21), Texas Water Code as amended
Commercial and institutional water
use: water use which is integral to the operations
of commercial and non-profit establishments and governmental entities including
but not limited to retail establishments, hotels and motels, restaurants, and
office buildings.
Conservation: those practices, techniques, and
technologies that reduce the consumption of water, reduce the loss or waste of
water, improve the efficiency in the use of water or increase the recycling and
reuse of water so that a supply is conserved and made available for future or
alternative uses.
Domestic water use: water use for personal needs or
for household or sanitary purposes such as drinking, bathing, heating, cooking,
sanitation, or for cleaning a residence, business, industry, or institution.
Drought: a meteorological period of serious
moisture (precipitation) deficiency, and a resultant reduction in spring flow
and stream flow generally accompanied by an increase in demand.
Drought Indices: those indicators selected for the
purposes of this plan to initiate (trigger) drought stages.
Exempt well: the normal single family domestic
well or a well equipped to produce less than 25,000 gallons of ground water per
day.
Industrial water use: the use of water in processes
designed to convert materials of lower value into forms having greater
usability and value.
Landscape
irrigation use: water used for the irrigation and maintenance
of landscaped area, whether publicly or privately owned, including residential
and commercial lawns, gardens, athletic fields, golf courses, parks,
cemeteries, rights-of-way and medians.
Non-essential water use: water uses that are non-essential, nor required for
the protection of public health, safety, and welfare, including:
1. irrigation
of landscape areas, including parks, athletic fields, cemeteries and golf
courses, except as otherwise provide by this Plan;
2. use of
water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane or other
vehicle;
3. use of water to wash down any
sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other
hard-surfaced areas except for the protection of public health, safety and
welfare;
4. use of
water to wash down buildings or structures for purposes other than immediate
fire protection or for the protection of public health, safety and welfare;
5. use of
water to fill, refill, or add to any indoor or outdoor swimming pools or
Jacuzzi-type pools;
6. failure
to repair a controllable leak(s) within a reasonable period after having been
given notice directing the repair of such a leak(s); and
7. use of
water from hydrants for construction purposes or any other purposes other than
fighting fires.
Non-Exempt well: a well equipped to produce greater
than 25,000 gallons of groundwater per day.
Permitted well: see Non-exempt well as defined
herein.
Public Water System: as defined under 30 TAC Subchapter
D Paragraph 290.38(41) September, 2000.
Registered Well: See Exempt well as defined herein.
Trigger Conditions: Conditions that occur that will
determine if a drought condition exists, such as lack of rainfall for a certain
period of time, The Palmer Drought Index indicates that the area is suffering
from drought conditions, PVGCD monitor wells regarding static levels, etc.
Waste of water: the use of groundwater
for non-essential purposes as defined herein when Drought Stages 2 – 4 are in
effect except as specifically allowed by this Plan.
Section II:
Planning Actions
The General Manager of the District will meet with city
personnel in Cuero, Yoakum Yorktown, and Nordheim to review those entities’
drought contingency plans to insure compatibility with the District Plan. These
reviews should be conducted on an annual basis, or the time period may be
extended to no more than five (years). The District will work with the above
communities in revising drought contingency plans as the need(s) occur(s).
The District’s Plan will be reviewed on an annual basis to
insure that it meets the needs of the District.
Additions, Deletions and/or corrections will be presented to the Board
by the General Manager and will be acted upon at the following General Meeting
of the Board.
Section
III: Triggering Criteria for Initiation and Termination of Drought Stages
The District Board or the Board’s
designee shall monitor the defined drought trigger indices and shall determine
when conditions warrant initiation or termination of each stage of the Plan.
The Plan consists of four levels of drought and groundwater production
restrictions as defined herein.
The Palmer Drought Severity Index, http://www.txwin.net/monitoring/meteorological/Drought/pdsi.htm,
which is an index based on regional meteorological and hydrological data such
as rainfall, temperature and soil moisture content will be used as the primary
triggering criteria for the initiation and termination of this plan. The District will also incorporate its
monitor well program into the determination of drought conditions on the
groundwater supply within the District.
Section IV:
Event Actions
After review by the Board of Directors of presented materials,
and upon determining such a drought condition exist, will charge the General
Manager of the District with the following:
A.
Within 48 hours of the Board decision that a drought condition exist, the
General Manager will notify each community within the District that the Board
has declared a drought condition and that each community should initiate its
drought contingency plan.
B.
The General Manger will contact the local media within
the District and advise them that a drought condition exist and that they (the
media) should expect to receive educational notices and articles concerning the
need to conserve the groundwater supply within the District.
C.
The General Manager will provide articles to the news papers within the District regarding the
need to conserve groundwater and/or tips for groundwater conservation until
such time as the Board declares that the drought period has ended.
D.
The General Manager will investigate any wasted or
unauthorized use of groundwater and will report back to the Board to determine
if action is needed to prevent the continuation of the waste or unauthorized
use of said water.
Section V.
Drought Stage Response
The President of the Board, or his/her designee, shall monitor
the defined drought trigger indices and shall determine when conditions warrant
initiation or termination of each stage of the Plan. Public notification by the
District of the initiation or termination of drought stages shall be by means
of notice posted in a newspaper of general circulation and by direct mailing
and/or e-mails to owners/operators of non-exempt wells.
(a) Restrictions on Exempt Wells
The Plan places no production restrictions on Exempt
(Registered) wells. The District encourages voluntary compliance during each
drought stage through compliance with the restrictions defined within the
various stages as outlined in this plan. Such voluntary compliance will
contribute to the achievement of the desired level of conservation and reduce
the impact of drought conditions and restrictions. However, nothing in this
section excludes the district from exercising authority under District Rules
regarding Waste of Water
(b) Restrictions on Non-Exempt Wells
The District has the authority to monitor and manage the
production from all Non-Exempt (Permitted) wells. These include non-exempt
wells used as Public Water Supply (PWS) wells to provide for domestic use and
all such wells used to support agricultural, industrial, commercial,
institutional and other non-domestic uses. This Plan places restrictions on the
production from such wells as a function of drought stage.
DROUGHT SEVERITY LEVELS
Palmer Drought Severity
Index (PDSI)
Mild Drought -1 or less
Moderate Drought -2 or less
Severe Drought -3 or less
Extreme Drought -4 or less
DROUGHT STAGES:
Stage 1 Mild Drought
Stage 2 Moderate Drought
Stage 3 Severe Drought
Stage 4 Extreme Drought
Stage 1 – Mild Drought Conditions
All Exempt and non-exempt well owners/operators and users of
groundwater produced from wells will be encouraged to voluntary restrict the
use of water. Non Exempt (Permitted) well owners will be contacted by mail and
informed that a drought condition exists and asked to voluntary restrict pumpage. In the case of public water supply wells,
owners/operators will be asked to initiate their drought management plans. News
articles will be submitted as outlined in Section V of this document to inform
the general public and exempt well owners informing them that the District has
declared a Stage 1 Drought and asking for voluntary conservation.
Stage 2 – Moderate Drought Conditions
All non-exempt well owners/operators and users of groundwater
produced from wells shall be notified in writing that the District has gone to Stage
2 of the District’s plan and will be asked to reduce total monthly pumpage by ten percent (10%). News articles will be
submitted as outlined in Section V of this document to inform the general
public and exempt well owners that the District has gone to Stage 2 of
the plan and ask people to restrict unnecessary pumping .
Stage 3 -- Severe Drought Conditions
All non-exempt well owners/operators and users of groundwater
produced from wells shall be notified in writing that the District has gone to Stage
3 of the District’s plan and will be asked to reduce total monthly pumpage by twenty percent (20%). News articles will be
submitted as outlined in Section V of this document to inform the general
public and exempt well owners that the District has gone to Stage 3 of
the plan and ask people to restrict unnecessary pumping.
Stage 4 – Extreme Drought Conditions
All non-exempt well owners/operators and users of groundwater
produced from wells shall be notified in writing that the District has gone to Stage
4 of the District’s plan and will be asked to reduce total monthly pumpage by thirty percent (30%). News articles will be
submitted as outlined in Section V of this document to inform the general
public and exempt well owners that the District has gone to Stage 4 of
the plan and ask people to restrict unnecessary pumping. Warn that the District
has the authority under its rules to seek administrative penalties against
individuals for wasting water.
Section VI:
Termination Notification:
Termination of the drought measures when the Board determines
that the trigger conditions which initiated the drought conditions have
subsided. The public will be notified of the termination in the same manner
they were informed of the initiation.