New Annual Groundwater Report and What It Means for Local Communities

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]All right, it's 8:16 right now. The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District has released its new 2025 annual groundwater report. It's giving local communities a closer look at groundwater use, at the water levels, and measured land subsidence across Harris and Galveston County. So, joining us now is Mike Turco, the general manager of the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, to explain exactly what's the very latest on this report, what does it show, why it matters to people in our area. Let's start off. Good morning, and talk about what is subsidence, and why should people care about this?

[00:00:33]>> Well, in our area, subsidence is the lowering of the land surface elevation.

[00:00:37]We're We're We're a coastal community, and any lowering of our land surface elevation can have dramatic impacts on on coastal coastal storm surge, but also inland flooding.

[00:00:47]>> All right. Okay, well, the 2025 annual groundwater report was released. Tell us, what are the biggest takeaways?

[00:00:54]>> Well, the biggest takeaway for us is that our regulatory plan is working.

[00:00:58]Our Our regulatory plan is designed just to mitigate subsidence. We were created 70 1975, over about 50 years ago, to prevent subsidence in our area. And in areas where we see groundwater is not the primary source water, and groundwater has been use has been reduced, subsidence rates there are generally stable, and we're not seeing much subsidence there at all. But, in areas where groundwater is the primary source water, in northern and western Harris County, in particular, that's where we're seeing the subsidence rates that that are that are of concern, and that's where most of the infrastructure to reduce our reliance on groundwater is being put in.

[00:01:31]>> And for some people that are watching at home, what does subsidence actually mean for their neighborhood?

[00:01:35]>> Sure. Well, subsidence can impact a lot of different things. It can It can impact infrastructure. It can cause damage to roads and and and pipelines and bridges and those types of things.

[00:01:45]But, additionally, what what it really does for us is In our area, we get a lot of rain. And and we live in a in a in a Right. We live live a flat area, so any change in elevation can have an impact on where that rain wants to go, and that can impact the occurrence, the magnitude of flooding.

[00:02:02]>> Yeah, and those neighborhoods, for sure.

[00:02:04]After everything that we've been through, something we really have to keep an eye on and watch closely.

[00:02:08]>> For sure, for sure.

[00:02:09]>> Okay. Well, how can some land sinking affect roads drainage systems and flood risks, as well?

[00:02:13]>> Yeah, so all those things can can be impacted by those subtle changes in in elevation. You know, subsidence is a slow process. It it it's gradual over time, but in some of our areas, we're seeing subsidence rates that are approaching nearly a foot per decade.

[00:02:27]>> Mhm.

[00:02:27]>> Um and that's that's impactful when we're talking about where water wants to go in the drainage where where how how fast it gets to that drainage and then how it gets out of the drainage and into the into the the bay.

[00:02:36]>> Yeah, it's an important part of it, right? Are there certain parts that certain areas of Harris and Galveston that really uh called to your attention where this data showed that you may be concerned about?

[00:02:47]>> Yeah, so we actually published uh some information in our annual groundwater report. Um and we measure subsidence throughout the region. And we do that in cooperation with many other agencies, including um um local groundwater conservation districts, neighboring agencies, the Fort Bend Subsidence District, and the University of Houston. And that data tells us it shows us where the subsidence is occurring, and those areas where the subsidence rates are are are higher are in western and northern Harris County >> Harris County.

[00:03:13]>> Um and northern Fort Bend County. And uh and and those are the areas where groundwater is still the primary source of water.

[00:03:18]>> So, what can we do to improve things?

[00:03:20]What can uh community leaders and uh utilities, local leaders, what can we do to help reduce this?

[00:03:28]>> Yeah, so we've been actually we've been really fortunate in our area. Way back in the '40s and '50s, we had very visionary leaders that created reservoirs for alternative water supplies. And right now, we have agencies working together with the City of Houston and the regional water authorities to develop those resources and move that water all around the area in our community. So, that part is great. We have more work to do on that to get to ultimately where we're no longer relying on groundwater in those areas, but the other thing we can do just personally at our homes is to be more efficient with the water that we use. Um I know I don't know if you you were driving in this morning, I saw people with their sprinklers on in their and in their lawns.

[00:04:03]>> Yeah, for sure. I did too.

[00:04:05]>> So so little things like that can help us be make more efficient with the water that we use. Make every drop of water go further and that'll help us moving forward.

[00:04:12]>> We can all do our part.

[00:04:13]>> We all can.

[00:04:14]>> All right, Mark Turco. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

[00:04:16]>> Thank you.

[00:04:17]>> All right.