Groundwater Management Areas (GMAs) were created by HB 1763, which was signed into law during the 79th Texas Legislative Session in 2005. These joint planning groups were created “in order to provide for the conservation, preservation, protection, recharging, and prevention of waste of the groundwater, and of groundwater reservoirs or their subdivisions, and to control subsidence caused by withdrawal of water from those groundwater reservoirs or their subdivisions, consistent with the objectives of Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, groundwater management areas may be created…” (Texas Water Code).

One of the primary objectives of GMAs is to develop “desired future conditions” (DFCs) for the aquifers the groundwater conservation districts jointly manage.  The DFCs are then used in establishing the “modeled available groundwater” (MAG) for the state’s aquifers. There are 16 GMAs in Texas, and Montgomery County is in GMA 14. 

There are five groundwater conservation districts in GMA 14. These districts represent 12 of the 20 counties in GMA 14. Three other counties are represented by subsidence districts; five counties are not represented by any type of district.  Currently, Southeast Texas GCD’s General Manager, John M. Martin, serves as the GMA 14 chair.