No. So long as you use water from the domestic well in a beneficial manner, as defined by our district rules, and your well is registered with the District, the District has no desire to charge for water use.
No. The District will not require a meter to be installed on wells used for domestic purposes.
By “domestic use,” we mean the use of groundwater by an individual or a household to support domestic activity. For example, water for drinking, washing, cooking, irrigation of small lawns, family garden/orchard, and the watering of domestic animals.
“Producing” means the act of extracting groundwater from an aquifer by pump or other method.
The Panola County Groundwater Conservation District is a political subdivision of the State of Texas, organized and existing under Section 59 of Article XVI of the Texas Constitution, Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code, and the District Act.
The District is a governmental agency and a body politic and corporate of the State of Texas. The District was created to serve a public use and benefit by preserving the area's groundwater resources.
The General Manager of the District shall have the authority to carry out the purposes of the District and to conduct the necessary activities of the District promulgated by the District Rules without action of the Board.
The purpose of this authority is to allow the General Manager to properly conduct the daily and managerial activities of the District in order to allow the District to efficiently and effectively manage and preserve the groundwater resources of Panola County.
Accurate and timely reporting to the District is a critical component of the District’s ability to manage and evaluate the groundwater resources it has the authority to regulate.
Registration of all wells is necessary for the District to receive water-use information in its jurisdiction. The registration of existing wells will allow the District to protect the rights of existing well owners based on historical use records.
Failure to comply with these rules may result in the assessment of fees, civil penalties, or both.
Abandoned water wells pose a hazard and can contaminate groundwater. If you have an abandoned well on your property, you should take steps to plug or fill it to prevent accidents.
Landowners can fill shallow water wells themselves by following the proper guidelines. In some cases, the county may help a landowner to fill in these wells.
County authorities are naturally reluctant to enter private land where their equipment may damage water, gas, electric, or sewer lines. However, if you have an abandoned well, contact your commissioner or the groundwater conservation district office and see if they can help if you do not have the means to do so yourself.
Groundwater Districts are encouraging the State to make additional funds available to assist landowners in filling and plugging abandoned wells. A deep water well can be plugged by removing the casing, if possible, and cementing and/or using bentonite clay to fill the penetration to the surface, from the bottom up. Contact the PCGCD office if you have any questions about abandoned water wells.
An abandoned well is a direct conduit from the surface to the aquifer below. Contaminants that enter the well are introduced directly into the aquifer with no opportunity for natural filtration by soils or geologic materials. If a contamination incident involving a concentrated chemical occurs, the potential for health-threatening levels in the underlying aquifer is high.
This puts other wells in the aquifer at risk, particularly those on the same property or close to the abandoned well. Just one gallon of 2,4-D herbicide can contaminate about three to four million gallons of water. In terms of groundwater, approximately that much water would be held in the upper three feet of an aquifer over a 20-acre area.
A well open to more than one aquifer allows water to migrate from a zone with a higher pressure head into a zone with a lower pressure head. In many areas of Texas, deep aquifers are under high pressure and are extremely salty.
When the casing of a high-pressure well deteriorates, and the well is abandoned without proper plugging, continual upward flow of salty water from the deeper aquifer will contaminate the shallower freshwater aquifer. Also, any pollutants that occur in one zone can migrate to another zone through the well.
For more information: abandonedwell.tamu.edu
The individual or company that offers to transfer a water well must first remove the pump from the well casing. The District must be notified in writing that the land owner desires to take ownership of the well, and a Transfer of Registered Well Request Form must be included with the notification.
After the form is received and processed, the District will inspect the well with a downhole camera for structural damage to the casing or screen, and for any indications of commingling of aquifers or zones.
An inspection fee of $200.00 will be required at that time. If the well does not pass inspection, the District will not approve the transfer and will require that the water well be plugged at that time.
The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that liability for the water well goes to the appropriate entity or individual. It is the District's intention to help ensure that all transferred water wells are in good condition before the landowner assumes responsibility for them.
The District also wants to make certain that the company releasing the water well can reduce its responsibilities by remedying any known or visible well deficiencies prior to the transfer of ownership of said well.
The goal of the District is the protection of all parties involved in the transaction, as well as the quality of existing groundwater. The District does not warrant that the down-hole camera or visual inspection will reveal all well flaws or inadequacies, such as improper cementing or gravel pack deficiencies.
Contact our office with questions, or fill out a Transfer of Ownership form.
The average household uses about 400 gallons per day. A swimming pool that is 15 feet by 30 feet and 6 feet deep holds approximately 20,250 gallons of water.