| LONE WOLF GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT |
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BRUSH CONTROL
Brush Control is a method used to help increase the natural recharge of the Dockum Aquifer. The Lone
Wolf Groundwater Conservation District supports brush control as a management practice to maintain and
improve groundwater supplies in the District and region. The District, in fact, wrote a grant for the Mitchell
and Nolan Counties Soil and Water Conservation Districts in 2002 for a brush control program along the
41,000 acre Champion Creek Watershed. The $1.3 million grant was funded in the fall of 2002 and, to
date, remains an ongoing program. The District will continue to work with the local SWCD and NRCS
offices to support new and ongoing brush control management projects.
The Texas Water Resources Institute, according to the 2001 Region F Water Plan, estimates that one
acre-foot of water is lost annually for every 10 acres of brush. Much of the brush consists of mesquite,
salt cedar and juniper. As these plants were introduced into the area they spread from the riverbanks to
the plains replacing native grasslands. Some of the potential concerns associated with brush are
increased erosion, competition for water with grasses, and reduced runoff infiltration. Estimates of the
amount of water used by different species of plants in Region F are summarized below.
Wolf Groundwater Conservation District supports brush control as a management practice to maintain and
improve groundwater supplies in the District and region. The District, in fact, wrote a grant for the Mitchell
and Nolan Counties Soil and Water Conservation Districts in 2002 for a brush control program along the
41,000 acre Champion Creek Watershed. The $1.3 million grant was funded in the fall of 2002 and, to
date, remains an ongoing program. The District will continue to work with the local SWCD and NRCS
offices to support new and ongoing brush control management projects.
The Texas Water Resources Institute, according to the 2001 Region F Water Plan, estimates that one
acre-foot of water is lost annually for every 10 acres of brush. Much of the brush consists of mesquite,
salt cedar and juniper. As these plants were introduced into the area they spread from the riverbanks to
the plains replacing native grasslands. Some of the potential concerns associated with brush are
increased erosion, competition for water with grasses, and reduced runoff infiltration. Estimates of the
amount of water used by different species of plants in Region F are summarized below.
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