Texas Administrative Code › Title 31 - NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION › Part 10 - TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD › Chapter 356 - GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT › Subchapter A - DEFINITIONS › Section 356.10 - Definitions

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(1) Affected Person--An owner of land in the
				  management area, a district in or adjacent to the management area, a regional
				  water planning group with a water management strategy in the management area, a
				  person or entity who holds or is applying for a permit from a district in the
				  management area, a person or entity who has groundwater rights in the
				  management area, or any other person defined as affected with respect to a
				  management area by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rule.
(2) Agency--The Texas Water Development
				  Board.
(3) Amount of groundwater
				  being used on an annual basis--An estimate of the quantity of groundwater
				  annually withdrawn or flowing from wells in an aquifer for at least the most
				  recent five years that information is available. It may include an estimate of
				  exempt uses.
(4) Board--The
				  governing body of the Texas Water Development Board.
(5) Brackish groundwater production zone
				  operating permit--A permit issued by a district under Texas Water Code §
										36.1015.
(6) Conjunctive use--The combined use of
				  groundwater and surface water sources that optimizes the beneficial
				  characteristics of each source, such as water banking, aquifer storage and
				  recovery, enhanced recharge, and joint management.
(7) Conjunctive surface management
				  issues--Issues related to conjunctive use such as groundwater or surface water
				  quality degradation and impacts of shifting between surface water and
				  groundwater during shortages.
(8)
				  Designated brackish groundwater production zone--An aquifer, subdivision of an
				  aquifer, or geologic stratum designated under Texas Water Code §
										16.060(b)(5).
(9) Desired future condition--The desired,
				  quantified condition of groundwater resources (such as water levels, spring
				  flows, or volumes) within a management area at one or more specified future
				  times as defined by participating groundwater conservation districts within a
				  groundwater management area as part of the joint planning process.
(10) District--Any district or authority
				  subject to Chapter 36, Texas Water Code.
(11) Executive administrator--The executive
				  administrator of the Texas Water Development Board or a designated
				  representative.
(12) Groundwater
				  Availability Model--A regional groundwater flow model approved by the executive
				  administrator.
(13) Major
				  aquifer--An aquifer designated as a major aquifer in the State Water
				  Plan.
(14) Minor aquifer--An
				  aquifer designated as a minor aquifer in the State Water Plan.
(15) Modeled Available Groundwater--The
				  amount of water that the executive administrator determines may be produced on
				  an average annual basis to achieve a desired future condition.
(16) Most efficient use of
				  groundwater--Practices, techniques, and technologies that a district determines
				  will provide the least consumption of groundwater for each type of use balanced
				  with the benefits of using groundwater.
(17) Natural resources issues--Issues related
				  to environmental and other concerns that may be affected by a district's
				  groundwater management plan and rules, such as impacts on endangered species,
				  soils, oil and gas production, mining, air and water quality degradation,
				  agriculture, and plant and animal life.
(18) Office--State Office of Administrative
				  Hearings.
(19) Petition--A document
				  submitted to the groundwater conservation district by an affected person
				  appealing the reasonableness of a desired future condition.
(20) Projected water demand--The quantity of
				  water needed on an annual basis according to the state water plan for the state
				  water plan planning period.
(21)
				  Recharge enhancement--Increased recharge accomplished by the modification of
				  the land surface, streams, or lakes to increase seepage or infiltration rates
				  or by the direct injection of water into the subsurface through
				  wells.
(22) Relevant aquifer--An
				  aquifer designated as a major or minor aquifer.
(23) State water plan--The most recent state
				  water plan adopted by the board under Texas Water Code §
										16.051 (relating to State
				  Water Plan).
(24) Surface water
				  management entities--Political subdivisions as defined by Texas Water Code
				  Chapter 15 and identified from Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
				  records that are granted authority under Texas Water Code Chapter 11 to store,
				  take, divert, or supply surface water either directly or by contract for use
				  within the boundaries of a district.
(25) Total Estimated Recoverable Storage--The
				  estimated amount of groundwater within an aquifer that accounts for recovery
				  scenarios that range between 25% and 75% of the porosity-adjusted aquifer
				  volume.