Communicating Correlative Rights Strategies to Encourage Sustainable Groundwater Management

Agricultural fields surrounding Dalhart, Texas. ©Landsat Science, NASA

Project Summary

Managing groundwater in Texas is a significant challenge due to high demand, frequent droughts, and perceived limitations in regulating the resource. These perceived limitations have led many groundwater conservation districts to accommodate more permits regardless of the impacts on water levels, spring flows, and landowners. In a key decision that led to this concern (Edwards Aquifer Authority v. Day and McDaniel), the Texas Supreme Court ruled that while landowners own the groundwater beneath their land, regulations can ensure everyone gets a fair share. Correlative allocations, where the right to produce groundwater depends on the surface acreage a person owns, can help by setting a cap on overall water production.

There are misconceptions about correlative allocations, such as the belief that they lead to depletion or cannot be used in regions with karst aquifers. However, when tied to clear management objectives, correlative allocations can balance water usage and conservation.

The first phase of this project involved a comprehensive analysis exploring correlative rights as a strategy for sustainable groundwater management in Texas. The resulting report, "Coupled Correlative Allocations for Groundwater Management in Texas: Overview, Examples, and A Hypothetical Conversion," details the state's existing groundwater management practices and the legal and practical aspects of correlative allocations. It also provides a hypothetical example demonstrating their application.

In 2025, the Meadows Center will launch a communications campaign to educate key stakeholders—policymakers, NGOs, the public, groundwater conservation districts, and scientists—on the benefits of correlative allocations. This will entail webinars to engage groundwater conservation districts and dispel misconceptions, briefings with advocacy partners to help amplify the message, and a storytelling campaign to illustrate the tangible benefits of adopting a correlative allocation approach.