Texas Water Development Board approves $1,500,000 in agricultural water conservation grant funding

For immediate release. Contact: Media Relations at 512-463-5129

AUSTIN – (June 30, 2014) – At its recent Board meeting, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) approved agricultural water conservation grants totaling $1,500,000. The grants marked a significant milestone for TWDB: since the agricultural program's inception in 1985, the agency has now funded more than $100 million in agricultural water conservation projects.

"Agriculture is a vital sector of Texas' economy, and TWDB is committed to doing all that we can to enhance water conservation," said TWDB Board member Kathleen Jackson. "These grants will help Texas farmers and ranchers increase their irrigation efficiency by providing meters to monitor and manage their systems."

The grants were awarded to five groundwater conservation districts to offset the cost of agricultural irrigation metering in support of conservation strategies from the 2012 State Water Plan.

The Coastal Bend Groundwater Conservation District, which covers all of Wharton County in the Coastal Plains region of Texas overlying the Gulf Coast Aquifer, received $25,000.

The Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District, which includes all of Carson, Gray, Roberts, Donley and Wheeler counties and parts of Potter, Armstrong and Hutchinson counties overlying the Ogallala Aquifer, received $107,500.

The Mesquite Groundwater Conservation District received $150,000. The district covers all of Collingsworth and Hall counties and parts of Childress and Briscoe counties in the Southeastern portion of the Texas Panhandle overlying the Seymour and Blaine aquifers.

The North Plains Groundwater Conservation District received $600,000. The district encompasses 4.7 million acres in Dallam, Hansford, Lipscomb, Ochiltree and Sherman counties, as well as parts of Hartley, Hutchinson and Moore counties overlying the Ogallala Aquifer.

The High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 received $617,500. The district covers approximately 7.6 million acres in Bailey, Cochran, Hale, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Parmer and Swisher Counties, as well as parts of Armstrong, Castro, Crosby, Deaf Smith, Floyd, Hockley, Potter and Randall counties overlying the Ogallala Aquifer.

The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional planning, and preparing the state water plan for the development of the state's water resources. The TWDB administers cost-effective financial assistance programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control, and agricultural water conservation projects.