Groundwater in Motley County Is Managed by a Special District

The water under Motley County answers to the Prairielands Groundwater Conservation District, which the Texas Legislature set up in 2009 to manage how the aquifer gets pumped. Out here, where most everything past the city limits runs on a well, that district has real reach. Drill a new well and you may need a permit first. Want to pull more water than you already do, whether for a bigger herd, a new house, or a row of trees, and that can take a permit too.

So when you're looking at rural acreage, two questions are worth asking before you sign. Are the wells already on the place permitted? And what are the district's pumping limits for that ground? A handsome stand of grass doesn't mean much if you can't legally water the cattle on it. The district keeps its own boundary maps and permit rules, and the Texas Water Development Board's district directory will point you to its current contacts.