POSGCD issues Temporary Permit Amendment to curtail production in Carrizo aquifer
The POSGCD Board of Directors at their April 11 meeting approved issuance of a Temporary Permit Amendment to Vista Ridge, LLC, to increase production in the Simsboro aquifer while reducing an equal amount of production from the Carrizo aquifer.
These actions follow the Board’s adoption of Rules last Summer which would likely lead to these actions over the next two years, but Vista Ridge officials requested assistance from District staff and consultants to design a testing period during the months of most demand on the aquifers so the results of these changes might be realized immediately. These actions should provide a lessening of impacts to water levels in landowner’s wells in the Carrizo aquifer by the Vista Ridge project.
The test results will be evaluated by Vista Ridge to confirm the existing pumping, transmission, and treatment infrastructure’s ability to handle this shift and to document that performance, while the District will study the results on changes in water level trends in both of these aquifers. The Temporary Permit Amendment carries an expiration date of Aug. 31, 2023, and at that time, with successful test results, requires Vista Ridge to request an amendment to make the changes in production from these two aquifers permanent. This permanent amendment could lower production from the Carrizo by Vista Ridge by as much as 40 percent of their total permitted amount.
The Temporary Permit Amendment includes several additional requirements and safeguards. These requirements include submission of all data to District, including drawdown and instantaneous pumping data and well performance of the system’s wells; submission to the District of measures to be used to establish success of the test; biweekly teleconferences between Vista Ridge and the District to ensure system operational compliance; and, all information used to evaluate and predict water level changes in the Carrizo and Simsboro Aquifers for this test.
Safeguards include submission of a plan by Vista Ridge to the District to cease testing should certain projected water levels be realized in water wells monitored by the District. The Temporary Permit Amendment, along with all supporting documents, can be viewed on the District’s website at www.posgcd.org/agendas-minutes/agendas-minutes/