TGCD lowers hammer on illegal wells
By JIMMY GALVAN

The Texas Groundwater Conservation District (TGCD) has filed a temporary injunction against Jason Stevenson of Vidor to keep him from drilling water wells in the district.

"This is a groundwater protection issue," said Larry Shepherd of TGCD. "Stevenson just failed to follow the rules of the district. His excuse was he didn't know, but he was sent repeated notices that the water district was in effect in a fourcounty area. I guess he just chose to ignore the notices."

According to the injunction, Stevenson is accused of drilling water wells, including two in Jasper County, without being licensed or registered with TGCD, which covers Jasper, Newton, Hardin and Tyler counties.

It is a state requirement that water well drillers be licensed.

"He was working as an apprentice under another driller at the time he was drilling the water wells," Shepherd said.

Stevenson operates Bison Water Wells in Vidor and was turned into TGCD officials, according to Shepherd.

"He was called in before the TGCD board and he came clean and showed us the 11 wells he had drilled in the district," Shepherd said.

Shepherd said Stevenson was given 30 days to fill out permits on the water wells and turn them back into the district but failed to do so.

"He hadn't abided by the district's rules by that point and we were concerned he was going to continue doing it," Shepherd said. "When he didn't meet the deadline for the existing water wells, we just assumed he would continue doing what he was doing."

Shepherd pointed out that drilling permits serve a two-fold purpose.

"It is a registration of that water well and a permit to drill the water well," Shepherd said. "We need to know where the water wells are located, so if anything happens in that area, we can notify the owners of the water wells."

Shepherd said other unregistered wells have been drilled in the fourcounty area but those drillers have come into compliance with TGCD.

"Everyone we caught has come into compliance," Shepherd said. "The district is not going to tolerate anyone who doesn't abide by the rules whether it be a driller or a resident."

Shepherd noted that the majority of the complaints filed with his office come from the Orange and Jefferson county areas.

"The majority of unregistered drilling is coming out of those counties," Shepherd said.

Repeated attempts by The Jasper Newsboy to contact Stevenson and Bison Water Wells were unsuccessful.