Harris-Galveston subsidence district created to 'end' subsidence

LAND SURFACE SUBSIDENCE HAS BECOME A CRITICAL PROBLEM IN SOME AREAS OF THE TEXAS GULF COAST AREA IN RECENT YEARS. DURING 1974 AN AVERAGE OF 200 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY WAS PUMPED FROM AN AREA INCLUDING ALL OF GALVESTON COUNTY AND THE EASTERN HALF OF HARRIS COUNTY. BECAUSE OF ITS LOW ELEVATION, THE LAND IN THE AREA OF CONCENTRATED EMPHASIS IS CRITICALLY AFFECTED BY SUBSIDENCE. THE HARRIS-GALVESTON COASTAL SUBSIDENCE DISTRICT WAS CREATED IN 1975 BY THE 64TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE TO COMBAT THIS PROBLEM. THE PLAN IS TO CONTROL SUBSIDENCE WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE DISTRICTS JURISDICTION BY REDUCTION OF GROUND WATER WITHDRAWALS TO AMOUNTS WHICH WILL RESTORE AND MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ARTESIAN PRESSURE TO CONTROL AND PREVENT SUBSIDENCE. THE DISTRICT PLANNERS RECOGNIZE SURFACE WATERS AS A VI WATER NEEDS OF HARRIS AND GALVESTON COUNTIES. THE THREE PRINCIPAL SOURCES OF SURFACE WATERS AVAIL DISTRICT ARE THE TRINITY, SAN JACINTO AND BRAZOS RIVERS. A NUMBER OF WATER USERS ARE USING SURFACE WATER AND OTHERS ARE PLANNING TO CONVERT TO SURFACE WATER IN THE FUTURE. ADDITIONAL NEED OF SURFACE WATER SUPPLIES HAS PROMPTED THE CONSTRUCTION OF LAKE LIVINGSTON ON THE TRINITY RIVER WHICH WILL YIELD 840 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY BY THE END OF 1976. WELL PERMITS ARE REQUIRED FOR WELLS ALREADY EXISTING AND WELLS TO BE DRILLED. THE PERMITS ARE ISSUED FOR A TERM OF ONE TO FIVE YEARS. AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR THE DISTRICT MAKES A COMPLETE STUDY OF THE GROUND-WATER SITUATION TO DETERMINE WATER LEVELS, RATES OF WITHDRAWAL AND OTHER INFORMATION WHICH MAY AFFECT LAND SUBSIDENCE WITHIN THE DISTRICT. (HEISS-NWWA)