Further discussion on a Houston-based firm’s request for nearly one billion gallons of Middle Trinity aquifer groundwater is heading into the court system.

On July 12, the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) board of directors unanimously approved for the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) to hold a contested case hearing for Electro Purification’s water permit request.

EP seeks to pump 912.5 million gallons of water from its test wells in western ...