Desired Future Conditions

The primary responsibility of GMA 1 is to conduct Joint Groundwater Planning and establish desired future conditions for the aquifers within the planning area. Desired future conditions are defined in Title 31, Part 10, §356.10 (6) of the Texas Administrative Code as "the desired, quantified condition of groundwater resources (such as water levels, spring flows, or volumes) within a management area at one or more specified future times as defined by participating groundwater conservation districts within a groundwater management area as part of the joint planning process." Texas Water Code § 36.108 requires district representative within a groundwater management area to submit desired future conditions for relevant aquifers in their groundwater management area to the TWDB. 

Modeled Available Groundwater

GMA 1 goes through a process to submit desired future conditions for each aquifer within the joint planning area. TWDB staff will determine whether the desired future condition is achievable and then estimates modeled available groundwater. Once the estimates are calculated, the TWDB provides the estimates and detailed documentation of how the estimates were calculated to each groundwater conservation district and regional water planning group within a respective groundwater management area. Each groundwater availability model has a GIS grid with attributes for various geographic designations, such as county, groundwater management area, groundwater conservation district, and active or inactive cells. These grids can be found at www.twdb.texas.gov/groundwater/models.

2021 Joint Planning Process

GMA 1 is currently in the fourth cycle of the joint planning process. The flow chart to the right is based off of information found in Texas Water Code Section 36.108 and details the necessary steps within the Desired Future Conditions to Modeled Available Groundwater Process. 

The GMA 1 met and proposed to adopt desired future conditions at the public meeting held on March 18, 2021. The DRAFT Explanatory Report and Resolution to Propose DFCs for Adoption are available for viewing below. The various Groundwater Conservations Districts will hold a public hearing and a 90-day comment period on the proposed desired future conditions prior to finally adopting DFCs. GMA 1 must finally adopt DFCs no later than January 5, 2022.