WIMBERLEY, Texas — A water utility company with customers in Hays County was fined $448,710 for pumping almost twice the amount of water it was allowed in 2022 out of the Trinity Aquifer, which feeds Jacob's Well. That's according to report from KUT.
The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District issued the fine to Aqua Texas last spring and said it was "by far the largest fine that's been assessed to anybody at this groundwater district."
The Trinity Aquifer supplies water to the Wimberley and Dripping Springs areas. Charlie Flatten, a spokesperson for the groundwater conservation district, told KUT that over-pumping is partially responsible for Jacob's Well running dry.
As of earlier this month, the popular swimming hole is at zero flow.
Flatten also said this isn't the first time Aqua Texas has pumped more than it was allowed, saying it's "pretty habitual" for the company.
“But this is a special circumstance caused by the most severe drought that we’ve had since the '50s," he said.
The Watershed Association is a nonprofit that has worked to protect Jacob's Well and the surrounding area for almost three decades. Its executive director, David Baker, said the organization was involved in talks with officials from the groundwater conservation district and Aqua Texas executives about ways to conserve water and mitigate drought.
“It’s really unacceptable to just sort of ignore the guidelines that the groundwater district has set up,” Baker told KUT. “To not comply with those rules, we think contributed to the situation we’re in now significantly.”
To learn more, read KUT's full report.