In a ruling with possible wide-ranging effects on water regulation, the Texas Supreme Court sided Friday with two Von Ormy landowners who objected to the Edwards Aquifer Authority's power to limit the pumping of groundwater on their ranch.
"The water underneath your property belongs to you," Joel McDaniel, who brought the lawsuit more than 10 years ago, said about the ruling. "This changes everything for everyone who owns a well."
In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Nathan Hecht, the court ruled ownership of groundwater should be considered no differently than that of oil and gas.
"We held long ago that oil and gas are owned in place, and we find no reason to treat groundwater … Read More
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