WHAT IS A DFC?
In 2005 the Legislature passed House Bill 1763 which established the framework
for regional collaboration among local groundwater managers on shared aquifers.
Groundwater conservation districts must now coordinate with neighboring districts
within their Groundwater Management Area (GMA) on issues such as
management goals and groundwater availability determinations. The State of
Texas is divided into 16 GMA’s, and Gaines County is in GMA #2 which consists
of:
Garza County UWCD (Post); High Plains UWCD (Lubbock & 12 others); Mesa
UWCD (Dawson County); Permian Basin UWCD (Martin & Howard County’s);
Sandy Land UWCD (Yoakum County); South Plains UWCD (Terry County).
Groundwater conservation districts within each GMA are required to define
“Desired Future Conditions” (DFC) for the groundwater resources within the
GMA. A DFC is a quantifiable future groundwater condition. These conditions,
called metrics, can be a particular groundwater level, level of water quality, volume
of spring flows, etc. The chosen conditions serve as management goals and answer
the questions of what you want your aquifer to look like in the future.
Based on the chosen DFC, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB)
determines how much groundwater is available (this is termed “Managed Available
Groundwater”) for withdrawal. These volumes in turn become the permitting
targets for the groundwater districts and will be used in the state’s regional water
planning process.
In effect, the decisions made now through this GMA process will set the stage for
the future of groundwater resources across the state.
This process is a key way for communities to maintain local and regional control
of their groundwater.