The Lost Rider Podcast with Herman Brune

The Lost Rider Podcast featuring Aaron Weishuhn

This episode of The Lost Rider Podcast features host Herman Brune sitting down with Aaron Weishuhn, the manager of the Colorado County Groundwater Conservation District (GCD). The two discuss the pressing realities of water management, local conservation efforts, and the political and environmental battles over Texas water resources.

Key Topics Discussed:

• History of the GCD: The Colorado County GCD was established around 2009 to ensure local citizens maintained a voice in their water management, rather than ceding complete control to state mandates.

• Current Drought Conditions: Colorado County has been operating under a drought warning since March following a dry fall and winter, marking the first step toward potential mandatory water cutbacks.

• Permitted Water Users: If drought conditions worsen, mandatory cutbacks would primarily affect permitted users with large-scale operations, such as high-production agricultural irrigation and major commercial wells, rather than exempt domestic or livestock wells.

• Aquifer Recharge and Dynamics: The conversation details the three layers of the Gulf Coast Aquifer system—the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers—and how the Colorado River interacts with these groundwater sources depending on the region.

• Proposed LCRA Reservoir: A major point of concern is the Lower Colorado River Authority's (LCRA) proposed off-channel reservoir in Colorado County, which includes a conceptual transmission pipeline designed to transport surplus water back to Austin and Travis County.

• Environmental and Economic Concerns: Weishuhn outlines the potential negative impacts of the LCRA project, including the removal of water from the local ecosystem, the threat to the Matagorda Bay system, and the risk of devaluing local property and tax bases.

• Shifting Stream Behaviors: The episode highlights a concerning ecological shift where local creeks and streams, which historically gained water from natural springs and aquifers, are now losing water into the depleted aquifers.