This week is National Groundwater Awareness Week, running from March 9 through March 15, 2014. Groundwater is one of our most precious yet most vulnerable natural resources. Over 60,000 people in Central Texas rely on water from the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers within the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District. Careful planning and management along with good stewardship are key to protecting this vital resource. In recognition of National Groundwater Awareness Week, the Aquifer District is specifically promoting several programs that highlight the importance of groundwater in our area.
Water Well Check-Up
In collaboration with the Texas Well Owner Network and Hays County Texas AgriLife Extension Service, the District is helping sponsor the 2014 Water Well Check-Up to encourage private well owners to test their well water. The District will cover the analysis cost ($10) for the first 60 well owners within the District to register. Water samples will be screened for fecal coliform bacteria, nitrates, and salinity. Water samples must be taken in approved sample containers and should be turned in by 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9. A meeting explaining screening results will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, at the Hays County Extension Office in San Marcos. For more information visit: www.bseacd.org/education/well-owners.
BSEACD College and Camp Scholarships
To promote and encourage groundwater awareness, each year the District, in collaboration with our permittees, offers scholarships for two age groups. One $2,500 Kent Butler Memorial College Scholarship and multiple camp scholarships to the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center’s summer camp programs (both 2-day and 5-day camps) will be awarded. Application materials are due Tuesday, March 18. For more information visit: www.bseacd.org/education/scholarships.
Groundwater is a shared resource. Groundwater conservation, protection, and management has to be a coordinated effort. Through droughts and floods, we are all in this together.
Useful Links:
- District press releases: www.bseacd.org/publications/press-releases/
- Current Aquifer status: www.bseacd.org/aquifer-science/drought-status/
- District Scholarship page: www.bseacd.org/education/scholarships/
- District Well Owners Resources page: www.bseacd.org/education/well-owners/
BSEACD is a groundwater conservation district charged by the Texas Legislature to preserve, conserve, and protect the aquifers and groundwater resources within its jurisdiction, which includes parts of three Central Texas counties. It is governed by a Board of five elected directors and staffed with hydrogeologists, groundwater regulatory compliance specialists, environmental educators, geospatial systems specialists, and administrative support personnel.