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Central Texas Water Battle Challenges Rule of Capture

Residents of the Central Texas town of Wimberleyare challenging the state's "rule of capture" amid a fight to stop a company from pumping up to 5.3 million gallons a day from an unregulated area above the stressed Trinity Aquifer.

by Carol Flake

Electro Purification's wells (the yellow dots on the map) are outside any regulator's purview. They're also near many other wells that depend on the Trinity Aquifer (the blue and green dots).
Credit: Graphic by Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District

Residents of the Central Texas town of Wimberleyare challenging the state's "rule of capture" amid a fight to stop a company's plans to pump up to 5.3 million gallons a day from an unregulated area above the already stressed Trinity Aquifer. Citizens have formed a nonprofit organization called the Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association and are preparing legal action. (Texas Observer)

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