About
- About
  
  The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is committed to conserving, protecting, recharging, and preventing waste of groundwater and preserving all aquifers in the District. The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District was created in 1987 with a directive to conserve, protect, and enhance the groundwater resources in its jurisdictional area.
Aquifer Science
- Aquifer Science
  
  BSEACD Aquifer Science team provides sound science to support policy and tactical decisions made by the District that affect water supply users and endangered species habitat. Collecting basic hydrogeologic data and planning and executing projects enhances the understanding of the water resources within the District’s boundaries.
Regulatory Program
- Regulatory Program
  
  The Regulatory Compliance Team is responsible for a wide range of the District’s responsibilities. Regulatory Compliance Team members have also actively attended and participated in community outreach and regional development and planning groups and served as District liaisons to local municipalities, political subdivisions, permittees, and licensed drillers and pump installers in the area.
Education
- Education
  
  The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer District actively participates and hosts events designed to engage and educate groundwater users and District residents. Events include stewardship awards, festivals, creek cleanups, presentations to schools and community groups, and teacher trainings.
Projects
- Projects
  
  The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District has a number of special projects to help advance the scientific understanding and better manage groundwater resources within the District.
Publications
- Publications
  
  One of the most effective ways to conserve, protect, and manage our the groundwater resources is to keep you informed of the science, current conditions, and regulations affecting our District. Sign up on the Friends of the District email list and receive: Quarterly newsletters, Aquifer status updates, Drought declarations, Conservation information, and Important news.
Transparency
- Transparency
  
  The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District strives to meet a high standard by providing clear, consistent pictures of spending, and by sharing information in user-friendly formats, to promote financial transparency and accountability, not only through financial reports but also through summaries, visualizations, downloadable data, and other relevant information.

Publications

Recharge and Water-Quality Controls for a Karst Aquifer in Central Texas

Topic: Water-Quality Studies
Source: Springer
Format: Paper
Year: 2017

The Edwards Aquifer is a prolific karst aquifer system in Central Texas that provides drinking water to about 2 million people. Because a significant portion of the water recharging the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer enters the subsurface through caves and enlarged fractures in the bed of Onion Creek, the presence of nonpoint source pollution in storm water flowing in Onion Creek can have a direct impact on water quality in the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer. To address this concern, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District constructed a concrete vault over the entrance to Antioch Cave in the bed of Onion Creek. This structure was designed to prevent entry into the cave of contaminated storm water by closure of two valves on the vault during storm events. When the storm water passes, the valves open and allow the cleaner baseflow water to enter the cave. Results of water-quality sampling at Antioch indicate that the system is capable of significant reduction of nonpoint source pollution entering the aquifer through Antioch Cave. Over a period in 2010 that included five storm events, approximately 1105 kg (2436 lbs) of nitrogen from nitrate/nitrite, 134 kg (295 lbs) of total phosphorus, and 86,385 kg (190,480 lbs) of sediment were prevented from entering Antioch Cave. This amount of sediment is equivalent to about eight dump-truck loads that are prevented from entering the aquifer.

The article can be purchased from Springer here.