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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS to drill new well e The agency responsible for protecting and conserving the area's groundwater has author- ized the city of College Station to drill a new well. But the Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District rejected the city's request to increase the amount of water it pumps annually from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer from the current 5.7 billion gallons a year. Dave Coleman, director of the city's water services department, said the decision shouldn't imme- diately affect College Station's ability to provide water. ( "We're in good shape for now," Coleman said. "Years down the road, we'll have to keep a close look on it." - Coleman said the board is cau- tious when it comes to increas- ing water allowances because it is responsible for ensuring the as longevity of water resources fof all users in Robertson and CS h Brazos counties. "It's just deferred the issues of additional water," Coleman said. "We're certainly good for at OK to least five years." The city's new well will be critical to maintaining an ade- quate water supply for the city Coleman said, because its lease on a well known as No. 4 will rill expire in December. The well is f~l leased to College Station by Bryan, and officials in both cities were unsure how that Z T~ agreement came to be. Jayson Barfknecht, the direc- tor of Bryan's water services department, said the city invited College Station officials to dis- By CASSIE SMITH cuss their future use of the cassie.smith@theeagle.com 21-year-old well about six months ago but never received a response. College Station's lease on the well first expired 2% years ago, and Bryan agreed to a one-time- only extension, Coleman said. Bryan officials then offered to renew the lease a second time if College Station agreed to split the cost of a $2 million project for a new pipeline, Coleman said. "We are spending so much money already buying the prop- erty and drilling these wells," he said. "We just can't afford anoth- er $1 million for something that would have marginal benefit for us." Coleman said the city's new well, off Old San Antonio Road on the west side of Lake Bryan, See CS, Page A7 'S* Plans to review conservation efforts . } C Continued from Al be necessary in an emer- Ions a day and pumped about gency, such as a well malfunc- 4.2 billion gallons in 2008. won't produce as much water tion. Adding well No. 4 to as the No. 4 well, but that Currently, the city has a Bryan's system will allow shouldn't affect the city's capacity to pump 26 million officials to rotate the wells overall supply, and water con- gallons of water a day. that are being used, which servation mandates aren't Without the new well, the city will help keep from draining expected. would have been limited to one part of the aquifer before Coleman said the city 22 million gallons per day, it is able to refill, he said. would review its water-con- Coleman said. There have. The city's conservation servation efforts to -get a bet- been several days this year efforts include reusing water 'ter idea offuture water needs. when demand has exceeded at the Traditions Golf & The city uses recycled water 22 million gallons, he said. Country Club, Barfknecht at Veterans Park, which The city hopes to have said. requires about 1 million gal- another well approved and The Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer lons of water per month for . online by the summer of 2011, has supplied water to Brazos irrigation during the sum- Coleman said. and Robertson counties for mer, he said. The city of Bryan pumps about 100 years. The aquifer "As soon as we get through from 12 wells in the Carrizo- extends from the Rio Grande this summer and see what tt:e Wilcox Aquifer and has a suf into parts of Arkansas and actual results are, we can ficient supply of water for the Louisiana. evaluate further," he said, next 50 years, Barfknecht Sixty Texas counties rely adding that more stringent said. Bryan has a demand of on groundwater from the conservation measures may 17 million to 18 million gal- aquifer.