LSGCD Proposes Pumping Groundwater 3X Faster Than It’s Being Replenished

7/8/2026 – The Conroe City Council will consider at its July 9 meeting a motion by the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District (LSGCD) that would double the rate of groundwater pumping which already exceeds the natural recharge rate of the aquifer. If approved, the new maximum pumping rate would exceed the recharge rate by 3X.

This isn’t the first time LSGCD has made such requests. Back in 2021, they fought the other members of Groundwater Management Area 14 for the right to ignore subsidence, one of the consequences of excessive groundwater withdrawal.

Earlier that year, LSGCD voted to double groundwater pumping and treat subsidence as a PR problem.

Back then, LSGCD fought any mention of subsidence in its desired future conditions (DFCs). And as a consequence, southern Montgomery County is sinking at one of the fastest rates in the region. See below.

Consequences of Excessive Groundwater Pumping

Subsidence can trigger geologic faults, crack pavement, foundations, walls, pipelines, storm sewers and more, leaving residents/taxpayers as unintended casualties of a water war where the private companies that pump groundwater always seem to get their way.

Differential subsidence also contributes to flooding by forming bowls in the landscape and reducing the gradient of rivers and streams. It can also reduce the safety margin between foundations and floodplains.

Last but not least, excessive groundwater pumping mortgages the area’s future. Subsidence is irreversible. Once the water is withdrawn and the ground above it has collapsed, the storage capacity is reduced considerably.

Communities that grow dependent on groundwater may not find it there to accommodate future growth or generations.

One of the region’s leading hydrologists told me, “They are going to pump themselves into a problem that they can’t fix. This has already been demonstrated all over Harris County. Some people are willingly turning a blind eye … for what? To save a little bit of money?”

He continued, “It is shortsighted and puts a burden on future generations. Water isn’t free or cheap. We have just been lucky for a long time, but there are too many people here now and it is time to be smart.”

Montgomery County Concerned Citizens

According to Paul Cote, a MUD president in MoCO for more than ten years and a leader of Montgomery County Concerned Citizens, the July 9 meeting of Conroe’s City Council is a crucial moment for Conroe’s water future.

He urges people to attend and protest the increase in groundwater pumping rates.

He suggests:

• Respectfully oppose the LSGCD’s request for support regarding the proposed DFC increase.
• Advocate for the City of Conroe to abandon the proposed GRP Global Amendment.
• Urge the Council to promote with State Leadership the need for a Countywide Unified Water Authority to promote a Regional Water Plan. 

Meeting Details

The meeting will be held at Conroe City Hall, 300 W. Davis, Conroe, on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Arriving early is important to sign up for public comment.

There are serious questions in my mind about whether LSGCD’s proposal is sustainable. Water infrastructure projects can take decades to build. The time to start was decades ago. In my opinion, we can’t continue kicking this can down the road.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/8/26

3235 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.