[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s been 30 years since talks of regulation brought landowners from Hays County and the surrounding area together to request oversight of the community’s most precious resource – water.

Those efforts led to the formation of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD), which is solely responsible for managing, conserving and protecting the Edwards Aquifer, which is the major supply of drinking water in the region, said John T. Dupnik, BSE...