The district has been mandated by the Legislature and the voters to protect, preserve, and enhance the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer. The district does not assess any taxes.
Funding is through user fees, permit fees, and grants.
Jurisdiction is limited to southern Travis, northern Hays, and portions of Caldwell and Bastrop counties. Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code states that local groundwater districts are the preferred method of regulating groundwater resources in the state of Texas. The district is the only local governmental entity with groundwater authority in the Barton Springs segment of the aquifer. Texas that gives landowners the right to pump as much water from under their land as they are able, even if that pumping dries up springs and neighboring wells. Well construction standards ensure protection of the groundwater resource, which supplies the sole source of potable water for 40,000 people.