In 1997, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 1 which said that groundwater conservation districts are the state's preferred method of managing groundwater resources. Dr. Bruce Lesikar, an agricultural engineering program leader with the Extension Service, said that conservation districts allow a local group to monitor aquifer resources. For example, districts can regulate how far apart wells must be spaced to reduce occurrences of pumping interference between adjacent landowners. However, regulations extend only to residents within the groundwater conservation district. Rules do not apply to neighboring counties that are not part of a conservation district unless a process is undertaken to annex that area into an existing district.
Most districts use ad valorem taxes to generate revenue.
Major considerations for the upcoming confirmation vote include how the district will be paid for, what powers it will have and how it will affect water exports and existing wells. However, the main issue for many has been the right to control their own water. If the district is created, it allows us to set our own rules to manage and protect our groundwater resources. If we don't take the initiative, the state may come in and control it if the law changes. Judge Davis said the main reason the district has been proposed is to plan the future of the aquifer.