Groundwater Management Areas
Groundwater Management Areas were created "in order to provide for the conservation, preservation, protection, recharging, and prevention of waste of the groundwater, and of groundwater reservoirs or their subdivisions, and to control subsidence caused by withdrawal of water from those groundwater reservoirs or their subdivisions, consistent with the objectives of Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, groundwater management areas may be created..." (Texas Water Code §35.001) Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 933, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.
The responsibility for Groundwater Management Area delineation was delegated to the Texas Water Development Board. (Section 35.004, Chapter 35, Title 2, Texas Water Code)
The initial Groundwater Management Area delineations were adopted on December 15, 2002. (356.23, TWDB Rules)
Summary of the Management Plan Components
Here is a spreadsheet summary of the management plan components for all groundwater conservation districts in the state. The spreadsheet was prepared by the Groundwater Division staff to facilitate joint planning efforts in the groundwater management areas and is updated quarterly. There is a summary page that provides information for all of the groundwater conservation districts. Plus there are individual tabs corresponding to each GMA for ease of reference.
GCD Management Plan Summaries | March 2014
There are 16 Groundwater Management Areas in Texas. Each Groundwater Management Area has the following number of Groundwater Conservation Districts included within its boundaries:
General Groundwater Publications
| ID | Date | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 SWP | 1/5/2012 | General Interest | 2012 State Water Plan |
| R-380 | 7/1/2011 | TWDB numbered report | Aquifers of Texas |
| R-361 | 6/1/2004 | TWDB numbered report | Conference Proceedings: 100 Years of Rule of Capture: From East to Groundwater Management |
| R-189 | 3/1/1975 | TWDB numbered report | Major and Historical Springs of Texas |
| R-379 | 7/1/2011 | TWDB numbered report | Changes in Water Levels in Texas, 1995-2005 |
| R-347 | 8/1/2001 | TWDB numbered report | Surveys of Irrigation in Texas - 1958, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989. 1994 and 2000. |
| HA-07 | 1/1/1996 | Hydrologic atlas | Areas Experiencing Significant Groundwater Decline, 1985-1995 |
| B-5914 | 12/1/1959 | Groundwater bulletin | A Study of Droughts in Texas |
| TWC-89-01 | 3/1/1989 | General Interest | Ground Water Quality of Texas - An Overview of Natural and Man-Affected Conditions |
| LP-192 | 12/1/1983 | Limited Publication | Climatic Atlas of Texas |
| USGS Open File Report 2005-1270 | 1/1/2005 | General Interest | Bibliography of Ground-Water References for All 254 Counties in Texas, 1886-2001 |