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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Drought Update – June 2, 2023
We’re over halfway through calendar spring and, while April and May rains have provided much-needed recharge to the Edwards and Trinity aquifers, we remain in Critical Drought status (Stage III). It was officially declared on October 20, 2022 when one of the District’s drought triggers, Lovelady monitor well, passed below its Critical Drought (Stage III)…
Read MoreLast week (4/6 – 4/7) an average of 2.2 inches fell across the District to put the month of April above its historical average (2.1 inches). This is the first above-average month since November 2022 and the first of 2023 – and there is more rain in the forecast! Area creeks including Onion and Slaughter saw…
Read MoreWe currently remain in Critical Drought status (Stage III). It was officially declared on October 20, 2022. One of the District’s drought triggers, Lovelady Monitor Well, passed below its Critical Drought (Stage III) trigger on October 17, 2022. February rainfall delivered an average of 1.3 inches across the District, about 0.7 inches shy of its…
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Report: View
Source: BSEACD
Format: Tech Note
Year: 2020
The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD), in cooperation with Travis County, compiled existing and new hydrogeologic data to evaluate groundwater resources in southwestern Travis County (SWTC). Analysis and interpretation of these data provide the foundation for hydrogeologic evaluations presented in the Hydrogeologic Atlas of Southwest Travis County, Central Texas (Hunt et al., 2020), which…
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Report: View
Source: Justin Camp, Brian Hunt, Brian Smith
Format: Report
Year: 2020
Groundwater availability from the Edwards and Middle Trinity Aquifers in the study area is generally limited, however, the Lower Trinity Aquifer within the study area is untested because of the aquifer depths, assumed low yields, and poor water quality. This study provides an initial assessment of groundwater availability in a Lower Trinity well field based…
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Report: View
Source: BSEACD
Format: Report of Investigations
Year: 2020
The full report or sections of the Atlas are available at the University of Texas at Austin Texas ScholarWorks. Click the title above or the “Read More” button below.
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Report: View
Source: Sinkhole Conference
Format: Paper
Year: 2020
Hays County is experiencing some of the highest growth rates in the country, and groundwater is the primary option for water in the county. One spring in the study area, Jacob’s Well, experiences periodic cessation of flow due to a combination of drought and pumping from nearby water-supply wells. Jacob’s Well is important for ecological…
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Report: View
Source: Sinkhole Conference
Format: Paper
Year: 2020
The Edwards and Trinity Aquifers are major aquifers of Central Texas that provide water supply for over two million people and contain springs that are hydrologically and ecologically important to the region. The Edwards Aquifer overlies the Trinity Aquifer but is geologically juxtaposed along the Balcones Fault Zone. Thus, understanding the hydrologic connection is necessary…
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Report: View
Source: City of Austin
Format: Report
Year: 2019
The Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer is an important resource for the region and understanding how the aquifer functions is critical to the conservation and preservation of the resource. Groundwater tracing is an important tool used to characterize the recharge areas, flow paths, groundwater velocities, dispersion, and fate of water in karst aquifers.…
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Report: View
Source: Meadows Center
Format: Report
Year: 2019
The Blanco River watershed spans five counties through the Texas Hill Country and supplies water to some of the fastest growing population centers in Texas, if not the country (Figure ES – 1). Over this reach, the Blanco River is both fed by and feeds the Trinity and Edwards aquifers, blurring the line between groundwater…
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