An East Texas farm sued the local groundwater conservation district that has authority over the aquifer that would be pumped. As part of a settlement, the district has voided its original permits.
LUFKIN — An East Texas groundwater conservation district is negotiating a legal path that would pause a plan to pump billions of gallons of water out of the region.
The Neches & Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District is allowing its lawyers to settle a lawsuit with a poultry farm that sued the district, which gave preliminary approval to a Dallas-area company to install 40 high-capacity water wells above the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer.
The nascent settlement, which became public Monday, is the latest twist in a monthslong debate over the project, which drew the ire of community members, local businesses and lawmakers. It resulted in several community meetings and an 11-hour legislative committee hearing.
The lawsuit was filed by Wayne-Sanderson Farms, a poultry business in East Texas. The lawsuit argued the project would hurt its business.
Source: Jess Huff, The Texas Tribune
Photo Credit: A lawsuit settlement in the works could halt a plan to pump billions of gallons of water out of East Texas. Joel Andrews for the Texas Tribune
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