Sunday, October 28, 2007

Newcomers 2007

57

Managing unseen water assets

Have an abandoned well?

Money generated from these taxes will total $475,005

The Clearwater Underground

with additional revenue for the water district coming

Water Conservation District keeps a

from interest, application and transport fees. This will

Abandoned wells can be harmful to the environment, and

fund a 2008 fiscal budget of $510,005

close eye on Bell County's aquifers

can pose a safety hazard for people and animals. Ide-

The district's management plan defines Bell Coun-

ally, the goal of plugging a well is to return the land to the

ty's water needs and supplies along with the goals the

original pre-drilled condition. According to state law, a

district will use to manage the area's groundwater

From staff reports

well is considered abandoned if it has not been used for

supply It was certified by the Texas Water Develop-

.

six consecutive months, unless the well is non-deterio-

The Clearwater Underground Water Conservation

ment Board in 2001.

rated with the casing, pump and pump column in good

istrict has the task of managing Bell County's un-

An aquifer monitoring system was instituted to re-

condition. Wells that are not in use but are in good condi-

erground water supply

.

cord water levels and collect test samples on 10 well

tion are only required to be capped with a covering that

The five-member district was approved by Bell

sites throughout Bell County Additional sites are

.

is not easily removed and can support 400 pounds. It is

the landowner's responsibility to plug an abandoned well.

County voters in 1999 to manage groundwater in the

needed to expand this system.

Wells may be plugged by the landowner or a licensed

The district has an in-house lab for testing water

Trinity and Edwards aquifers in this county

.

driller/pump installer. Plugging must be done in accor-

Horace Grace serves as president. Wallace Biskup is

quality This service is available to registered well

.

dance with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regu-

vice president, and Leland Gersbach serves as secre-

owners at no charge.

lation, "Water Well Drillers and Pump Installers Rules" (16

tary Judy Parker and John Mayer serve as directors.

.

Well registration by the district is an on-going proj-

TAC Chapter 76).

Voters gave the board the power to regulate nonex-

ect. All wells -- new and existing -- are required to be

Source: Clearwater District

registered. Generally wells pumping more than 25,000

,

empt water wells along with the authority to levy a

gallons per day called nonexempt wells, need an oper-

,

countywide property tax of up to 1 cent per $100 of

tion is available for use by the public.

ating permit from the district. Lower producing wells

assessed property value. Board members approved a

In addition, district directors are available to speak

are exempt from the annual permit.

.0040-cent property tax rate per $100 valuation for fis-

To help promote public education and conserva-

with schools and other organizations regarding the

cal year 2006-07, a decrease from 2005-06 fiscal year's

tion, the district has compiled a resource library of

district and its responsibilities.

rate of .0044 cents. The rate is currently the same.

Because property values have increased, the tax rates

books, curriculum guides, videotapes and miscella-

For more information about the district, call (254)

have decreased each year but this last one from the .0059

neous items that address various aspects of water,

933-0120, or visit the district's Web site at www.clear-

cents per $100 valuation assessed five years ago.

both surface water and groundwater. This informa-

waterdistrict.org.

NO CI

TY TAX

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