Regulatory Plan

The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District’s Regulatory Plan was developed with the overall goal of reducing groundwater withdrawal to a level that no longer contributes to further subsidence within the District. The purpose and intent of the Regulatory Plan are to establish policy in the areas of groundwater regulation, permitting, and enforcement, and to define the HGSD Regulatory Areas and the regulatory requirements for each area.

The Regulatory Plan is regularly reviewed using the best available data to ensure the plan’s effectiveness in preventing subsidence. The most recent plan review was completed in 2025.

The current HGSD Regulatory Plan was approved on January 9, 2013, and amended on April 14, 2021.

View HGSD’s Regulatory Plan

District Rules

Rules are used by the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District as guides in the exercise of the powers conferred by law and in the accomplishment of the purposes of Chapter 8801, Special Districts Code. They shall not be construed as a limitation or restriction on the exercise of any discretion nor shall they be construed to deprive the District or Board of the exercise of any powers, duties, or jurisdiction conferred by law, nor shall they be construed to limit or restrict the amount and character of data or information that may be required to be collected for the proper administration of Chapter 8801, Special Districts Code.

Click the button below for the most recent HGSD Rules (amended October 2023).

View HGSD’s Rules

Regulatory Areas

The Regulatory Plan divides HGSD’s jurisdiction into three regulatory areas. These areas all share the goal of preventing subsidence by reducing overall groundwater withdrawals; however, each regulatory area’s groundwater withdrawals will be reduced to a specific percentage of its total water demand by a designated date, based on the availability of alternative water sources, geophysical characteristics, and groundwater demand.

Regulatory Area 1

Groundwater withdrawals for each permittee must comprise no more than 10% of the permittee’s annual total water demand.

Regulatory Area 2

Groundwater withdrawals for each permittee must comprise no more than 20% of the permittee’s annual total water demand.

Regulatory Area 3

Groundwater withdrawals must not exceed 20% of the permittee’s annual total water demand, unless the permittee is operating under a certified groundwater reduction plan (GRP).

  • Beginning with permits issued in 2025, permittees operating under a certified GRP shall be required to reduce and maintain their groundwater withdrawals to comprise no more than 40% of the annual total water demand.
  • Beginning with permits issued in 2035 and continuing thereafter, permittees operating under a certified GRP shall be required to reduce and maintain groundwater withdrawals to no more than 20% of annual total water demand.

If groundwater withdrawal is reduced, where will we get our water from?

The goal is to shift our region’s primary water supply from groundwater to sustainable alternative water supplies that do not cause further land subsidence. However, the transition from groundwater to alternative water supplies (surface water, reclaimed water, etc.) is complex and requires regional water planning, which is why the Texas Legislature created Regional Water Authorities to provide local control for these water infrastructure projects and are responsible for facilitating the conversion from groundwater to alternative water supplies to meet HGSD’s Regulatory Plan requirements.

Local and regional water providers have worked diligently to deliver sustainable solutions for their communities. For example, the West Harris County Regional Water Authority, the North Fort Bend Water Authority, and the City of Houston have joined efforts to construct the Surface Water Supply Project. Additional efforts were made at the Northeast Water Purification Plant Expansion near Lake Houston to increase treated water production from 80 million gallons per day to 400 million gallons per day.