Tuesday, April 30, 2013: 1:15 p.m.
Regency East 1 (Hyatt Regency San Antonio)
In the midst of a struggling economy, severe drought, and limited financial resources, Rusk County Groundwater Conservation District (RCGCD), in Henderson, Texas has managed to overcome these obstacles with great success. Gathering scientific data to preserve and protect the groundwater is the mission statement for RCGCD. In an effort to carry out this mission, RCGCD implemented rule 9.2.5 which requires exploration companies to either plug or have their water well inspected within 180 days of the oil/gas rig leaving the site. During inspection the use of a portable water well camera system, a sub-foot accuracy Trimble Pro XRT GPS unit, and geophysical electric logging equipment help determine the integrity of the well and the groundwater. To overcome the financial burden, the district requires an inspection fee to cover the cost of the district’s time and equipment. Over 400 electric logs (elogs) from inspections and historical wells have been submitted to professional geologists to help decipher the geologic stratigraphy as well as the major sands comprising the majority of the groundwater. Along with the elogs, each quarter RCGCD collects static water level measurements from 100 wells that are no longer in use from exploration companies. Combining this scientific data (elogs and water level measurements) into a Geographic Information System (GIS), a 3D groundwater model has been created for the entire county, which provides valuable information on the geophysics and groundwater. This one rule not only benefits the district’s groundwater monitoring efforts, finances, networking, and the integrity of the groundwater resources, but also the exploration companies’ practices by providing a form of litigation insurance which they gladly support.
| Jason Ferrell , Rusk County Groundwater Conservation District | |
| Jason Ferrell has worked with the Rusk County Groundwater Conservation District since January 2010 as the Director of Field Operations. He received his master's degree in Geographic Information Science from Texas State University–San Marcos in 2007. He received his bachelor's degree in Resource Biology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2001. | |
| Len Luscomb , Rusk County Groundwater Conservation District | |
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Len Luscomb is the General Manager of Rusk County Groundwater Conservation District located in Henderson Texas. He organized the district starting in 2006. He has a BS in Industrial Management and an MBA. Prior to RCGCD he managed a 300 person forge plant in Longview Texas and was a management consultant out of Chicago, Ill. He brings over 47 years of management experience to the efficient operation of a groundwater conservation district. |
