What we reported

The city of Conroe, the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District and other stakeholders have been embroiled in a lawsuit challenging groundwater use regulations in Montgomery County since 2015.

The latest

The LSGCD board of directors approved an amendment in October to its regulations for Montgomery County. Board members increased the cap on groundwater use from 64,000 acre-feet of water to 100,000 acre-feet per year. However, the change must be approved by Groundwater Management Area 14, which is composed of various regional water planning groups. Starting in 2020, the agency will begin to ease restrictions on large volume groundwater users to return pumping levels to about 100,000 acre-feet per year, which is about the same amount as was pumped in the county in 2009.

What’s next

Conroe and LSGCD attorneys are actively working on a settlement agreement. Information regarding the agreement has not been made public, and both the city and LSGCD officials declined comment citing the litigation. This story is one update from The January Issue. View the full list of the Top 10 stories to follow in 2018 here https://impactne.ws/cin/302369