Woodlands Community Magazine Article - October 2023
Did you know it takes thousands of years for rainwater to replenish many of the water wells in The Woodlands? In fact, the water you’re drinking now could’ve been enjoyed by mammoths and giant sloths. The exceedingly slow “recharge rate” makes our groundwater supplies harder and more costly to access over time. Thankfully, regional solutions were put in place years ago to help conserve and protect this precious resource.
Well before our current regional population boom, local leaders and the State recognized demand for our regional aquifers was unsustainable. In 2001, the 77th Texas Legislature created the Lonestar Groundwater Conservation District (LSGCD) to preserve, conserve, and protect Montgomery County’s groundwater supplies, ensuring their sustainable use for current and future generations.
LSGCD implemented various conservation measures. However, demand created by the population boom in Montgomery County has exceeded the aquifers’ ability to recharge.
To meet groundwater reduction requirements set by LSGCD and maintain aquifer levels, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) created the Groundwater Reduction Plan (GRP). The GRP strategy ensures a reliable, long-term alternative water supply by promoting water conservation, the reuse of treated wastewater, reduced groundwater pumpage from aquifers, and the development of surface water from Lake Conroe for all of Montgomery County.
The GRP uses pumps to pull raw surface water from Lake Conroe and sends the raw water through a water treatment process to ensure the water meets or exceeds the state drinking water standards. The water is then delivered to The Woodlands and other large volume users along a 55-mile transmission line.
This cost-effective solution provides a 50/50 blend of treated surface water from Lake Conroe and groundwater which helps reduce the groundwater withdrawal from the aquifers by 30%.
Woodlands Water, along with over 130 water utilities, is contracted to share a portion of the cost to cover the implementation, operation, and maintenance of the GRP. Since 2010, this cost has been listed on your water bill as the Surface Water Conversion (SWC) Fee.
The SWC fee is a pass-through fee, meaning customers are charged only what Woodlands Water is charged by SJRA to supply treated surface water from Lake Conroe.
The current SWC Fee is $3.20 for every 1,000 gallons of water consumed in any given month. SJRA reviews these rates annually and it reports that rates will remain $3.20 through September 2024.
