A Texas country club's request for 50-year groundwater leases is putting a price tag on homeowners' future control over their own property.
The Amarillo Country Club is offering nearby homeowners $500 for those rights, and some residents worry the agreement could come back to haunt them if they ever want to add a pool or an irrigation system.
Here's what to know
At issue is how much water the club can keep drawing from its existing wells. Per KVII, Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District rules tie pumping allowances to the amount of land associated with those wells, leading the club to seek groundwater-rights leases from nearby homeowners.
Attorney Marty Jones of the Sprouse Shrader Smith law firm said the club's current wells are still working.
"The wells are not going dry; the wells are perfectly fine. They're perfectly adequate to continue watering the club, just like we have for 100 years," Jones said.
Homeowner Marissa Fulton said her concern is less about needing a well today and more about preserving options later.
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"I'm concerned with the likelihood of needing to build, you know, dig a well is slim. But if I wanted a pool, even a small one, or if I wanted to put in an irrigation system which I do not have, the fear is that I will not be allowed to have a permit to do so," Fulton said.
"I felt it was rather insulting to put such a low dollar amount on something that they need, and they value so highly," she added.
Jones said the $500 offer was based on what he described as the approximate average price for groundwater rights in the area.
"If you take 500 an acre as a rough average of groundwater rights in this area, and multiply that by 150 acres, which is approximately what we have there, then you get a number 150, $80,000, something like that. Multiply that number by the acreage in each lot, and it's far less than $500. We decided $500 was an offer we could make," Jones said.
What's being done?
Under district rules, the club is trying to reach agreements with neighboring property owners so it can keep pumping at its current level. Jones said there is another option if homeowners decline to sign.
"The city of Amarillo has agreed to lay another pipeline into the ground, into the country club property, and to provide the country club with enough water to make up the difference between what the district will allow us to produce and the needs of the golf course itself," he said.
Where can I learn more?
This dispute reflects a much larger battle over who controls groundwater as supplies tighten across the Southwest. The articles here discuss pumping limits, emergency well drilling, contested water-rights sales, development battles, and residents losing water at home.
• Along the Rio Grande, the Supreme Court approved a deal to slash groundwater pumping.
• In South Texas, cities are drilling new wells for shortages despite warnings that aquifers could worsen.
• In Arizona, a contested water-rights sale raised fears private deals could reshape river communities.
• Near Helotes, Lennar Homes faced backlash over expanding a project near a critical water source.
• In Pennsylvania, residents lost water at home as heavy outside water use drew blame.
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