Aquifer Monitoring Well Funding Initiative
Water is essential to life and to the long-term sustainability of our community. In Bandera County, increasing development and prolonged drought are placing growing pressure on our groundwater resources. Many local landowners and businesses rely on wells drawing from the Middle Trinity and Lower Trinity Aquifers for drinking water, livestock, and agriculture.
Right now, western Bandera County currently lacks groundwater monitoring data. Without data, our community cannot effectively track aquifer levels, identify potential risks, or plan for long-term water sustainability.
To address this critical gap, the Bandera Canyonlands Alliance (BCA) is launching a fundraising campaign for an Aquifer Monitoring Well Initiative. The project will fund the drilling of two wells—one into the Middle Trinity Aquifer and the other into the Lower Trinity. Donations will be used to fund the drilling expenses of the two wells in Vanderpool. These wells will provide real-time data on aquifer levels so our community can better understand — and protect — the water resources we all depend on.
The Bandera Canyonlands Alliance Announces
Aquifer Monitoring
Well Funding Initiative
The Plan
This is truly a community-wide effort. Two years ago, BCA first announced the Aquifer Monitoring Well Initiative at our fall meeting of members and friends. Today, we are pleased to share an important milestone: thanks to the generosity of the Vanderpool Volunteer Fire Department, a site has been secured in Vanderpool for the monitoring wells. These wells will be used to gather data which will be available to the public 24 hours a day on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website.
We already have donor commitments for $50,000 for the project, and initial funding to begin the project has already been donated to the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District (BCRAGD). Now we need to raise an additional $25,000 to meet the fundraising goal of $75,000 to make these wells a reality.
These monitoring wells, with aquifer data readily available to the public on-line, will help protect drinking water sources, sustain agriculture, livestock, wildlife and our local economy.
Everyone benefits from understanding what’s happening beneath our feet. The information provided by these wells will help our community better understand aquifer conditions and make informed water management decisions. It’s also important to point out that the springs that flow from these aquifers feed many of the streams and rivers in our region.
Key organizations have already committed their support:
The Vanderpool Volunteer Fire Department is supporting this community-wide effort by generously providing the location for the monitoring wells.
The Bandera Canyonlands Alliance is coordinating fundraising to drill these two wells and make the monitoring project a reality.
The Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District (BCRAGD) will manage the project and own and maintain the wells.
BCRAGD will secure the data uplink for the wells so that the information is available to the public online on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website 24 hours a day.
Plans are also in the works to use the location to support expansion of the BCRAGD Flood Early Warning System, to monitor rainfall and river flow in the area.
We are asking local landowners, community members, and businesses to help make this project a reality by contributing to the Bandera Canyonlands Alliance Aquifer Monitoring Well Fund. All donations will be used to support this initiative and are tax-deductible.
If you can help us raise the remaining $25,000 to meet our goal, we would sincerely appreciate your investment in helping to protect our future water supply.
You may send a check to the BCA Aquifer Monitoring Well Fund by sending it to:
Bandera Canyonlands Alliance
P.O. Box 164
Vanderpool, TX 78885
We Now Need Your Support to Make This Happen
If you would like to help fund this effort by using a brokerage account, please contact us directly at info@banderacanyonlandsalliance.org
We are stronger together. Thank you for joining us as we work to Protect Our Water-Protect Our Future!