What North Plains Groundwater Conservation District does

The North Plains Groundwater Conservation District is a government entity established by the Texas State Legislature in 1949 under Texas Water Code Chapter 36 and confirmed by voter referendum in 1955, charged with conserving, protecting, and preserving groundwater resources in the northern Texas Panhandle. It exercises exclusive regulatory authority across seven counties (Dallam, Hartley, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Sherman) over an area of roughly 5 million acres containing more than 10,000 active wells drawing primarily from the Ogallala Aquifer. Core services include well and test hole permitting ($1,000 and $200 respectively), groundwater reporting, free in-district field services (flow measurements, water quality testing, coliform bacteria sampling), and a TWDB-funded Meter Reimbursement Program that has paid out $4.39M since 2014.

Operations are supported by an extensive proprietary groundwater database, telemetry-equipped soil moisture probes, remote pivot monitoring and control technology, and a beta interactive groundwater map built with Halff Associates. The district runs the Water Conservation Center demonstration farm near Etter, Texas, the Master Irrigator training program (24 hours over four sessions), youth education initiatives including three annual Water Festivals reaching 800+ fourth-grade students, and demonstration projects (3-4-5 GPM, 200-12) that quantify yield and net-return gains from graduated irrigation regimes. Partnerships with NRCS, Texas A&M AgriLife, USGS, the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation, and Crop Production Services underpin both research and field operations.

The district is funded primarily through a property tax levied at $0.031909 per $100 of assessed value, with an FY2025-2026 Maintenance and Operations budget of $2,901,155, supplemented by permit fees and Texas Water Development Board grants. It is governed by an elected seven-member Board of Directors representing each county and managed day-to-day by a 17-person staff led by General Manager Janet Guthrie. The district is not a commercial enterprise and has no subsidiaries, no M&A activity, and no venture or private equity ownership.

Name

North Plains Groundwater Conservation District

Legal name

North Plains Groundwater Conservation District

Website

https://northplainsgcd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The North Plains Groundwater Conservation District is a Texas state-legislated government entity that regulates, monitors, and conserves groundwater across seven counties in the northern Texas Panhandle, serving over 10,000 active well operators, agricultural irrigators on 1 million acres, and district residents via permitting, field services, demonstration projects, and education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Groundwater Conservation Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Groundwater Monitoring Networks (Well Design, Installation & Sampling Programs) (EUAHAFAC), Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater) (EUANAJAH), Groundwater Monitoring & Well Sampling (Monitoring Wells, Plumes) (EUAHACAE), Drainage & Field Water Management (Tile Drainage, Ditches, Water Table Control) (AFAAACAJ)

Keywords

• Groundwater management
• Aquifer conservation services
• Water well permitting
• Agricultural water conservation
• Groundwater monitoring services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dumas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Taxes: Property tax revenue funding district operations. Tax rate for 2025-2026 is $0.031909 per $100 of assessed value. Maintenance and Operations budget for 2025-2026 is $2,901,155.
2. Well and Test Hole Permits: Fees collected for well permits ($1,000) and test hole permits ($200). Permits typically processed within 7 business days.
3. Meter Reimbursement Grants: Grant funding from Texas Water Development Board for meter reimbursement program. Since June 2014, district has received $4,390,900 in grants for meters.
4. Field Services Fees: Most field services provided free to persons within the district. Fees charged for all services provided outside district boundaries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The North Plains Groundwater Conservation District is a state-legislated groundwater conservation agency that issues water well permits, collects and analyzes groundwater data, performs field services (flow measurements, pumping levels, water quality and coliform testing), and delivers agricultural and youth conservation education across seven northern Texas Panhandle counties. It operates the Water Conservation Center demonstration farm, the Master Irrigator training program, youth curricula (Project WET, WaterWise, Major Rivers, Children's Water Festival), agricultural demonstration projects (3-4-5 and 200-12), and a Texas Water Development Board-funded Meter Reimbursement Program to support sustainable use of the Ogallala aquifer.

Product overview

The North Plains Groundwater Conservation District operates as a governmental water management agency offering conservation programs, educational services, and regulatory functions. Core offerings include the Water Conservation Center (demonstration farm), Master Irrigator training program, youth education (Project WET, WaterWise, Children's Water Festival), agricultural conservation demonstrations (3-4-5 Project, 200-12 Project), well permitting services, groundwater monitoring tools (Interactive Map, 3D Aquifer Map), and a Meter Reimbursement Program. The District focuses on conserving, protecting and preserving the Ogallala aquifer through education, regulation, and field services for the northern Texas Panhandle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Conservation Center A demonstration field near Etter, Texas that showcases irrigation water-saving techniques for local farmers, including comparisons of sprinkler, mobile drip, and subsurface drip irrigation systems and drought-tolerant corn hybrid testing. Targeted at agricultural producers operating in the district.
• Master Irrigator Program An intensive irrigation management curriculum providing 24 hours of education across four one-day sessions, teaching agricultural producers advanced conservation irrigation practices to maximize water efficiency. Developed in partnership with Texas Water Development Board and NRCS.
• Well Permitting Services Water well permit issuance, test hole permits, well registration, and compliance monitoring for all wells in the District jurisdiction, issued under Texas Water Code Chapter 36. Well Construction Permit fee is $1,000; Test Hole Permit fee is $200; permits are typically processed within 7 business days.
• Field Services Free in-district field services for District residents including flow measurements, pumping level tests, static water level tests, water quality testing, and coliform bacteria sample collection. Services are delivered by the District's field team across all seven counties.
• Meter Reimbursement Program Financial incentive program that reimburses agricultural irrigation producers up to 50% of flow meter equipment costs (capped at $1,800 per meter), funded by Texas Water Development Board grants totaling $4,390,900 since June 2014.
• 3-4-5 Gallon Production Maximization Project Variable-rate irrigation demonstration project applying 3, 4, and 5 gallons-per-minute conditions to compare corn production efficiency and net returns under different water availability levels. Demonstrations showed 3 GPM fields produced 15.41 bu/acre-inch vs 13.80 (4 GPM) and 13.66 (5 GPM), with net returns averaging $23.47 per inch.
• 200-12 Demonstration Project Conservation resource management system for corn production using techniques including remote pivot monitoring, soil moisture probes, residue management, drought-tolerant hybrids, and variable-rate irrigation. Recognized with the 2011 Texas Environmental Excellence Award for Agriculture and 2012 Save Texas Water Blue Legacy Award for Agriculture.
• Children's Water Festival Annual hands-on water education festivals held in Dalhart, Perryton, and Dumas reaching more than 800 fourth-grade students each year via learning stations on water science and conservation. First festival held May 19, 2005 with nearly 450 students.
• Project WET Curriculum Water education curriculum for educators aimed at students ages 5-18, providing interdisciplinary, hands-on teaching tools for water education. Distributed free to teachers in the district.
• WaterWise Program Home water and energy efficiency education program with classroom activities and hands-on home projects, including efficiency kits with showerheads, aerators, and testing equipment for distribution to households in the district.
• Major Rivers Program Texas-aligned water education curriculum with eight lessons and accompanying teacher guides and student materials, teaching students about major water resources, water treatment, delivery systems, and conservation practices.
• Groundwater Interactive Map Interactive online mapping tool allowing public access to well information across the District, with expanded features and improved reliability versus prior versions. Currently described as a beta version.
• Ogallala Aquifer 3D Map Interactive 3D visualization of the Ogallala Aquifer available on the District website for educational and planning purposes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 GPM fields produced 15.41 bushels per acre inch of irrigation vs 13.80 for 4 GPM and 13.66 for 5 GPM
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Crop Production Services (CPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Selected to oversee farming and demonstration at Water Conservation Center near Etter TX; manages 3-4-5 Program demonstrating graduated irrigation regimens and award-winning 200-12 Project; provides ongoing coordination in design and implementation of demonstrations
• Canadian River Municipal Water Authority (CRMWA)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Matched NRCS EQIP funds ($108,000) with own funds for salt cedar brush control on Canadian River, treating 2,000 acres in first year to increase water flow to Lake Meredith
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of Master Irrigator Program with cost-share funding for participants; provided Conservation Innovation Grant for 200-12 Project as part of Texas High Plains Initiative for Efficient Irrigation Management and Conservation; administers Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension ServicesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Cotton Video Series providing video updates from cotton demonstration sites throughout the district with progress and data through growing season
• United States Geological Survey (USGS)secondaryTechnology or IntegrationContracted for comprehensive water quality testing providing precise chemical and physical properties of aquifer water beyond what local laboratories provide
• High Plains Water DistrictminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCreated resource page to help producers learn about Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
• Texas Alliance for Water Conservation (TAWC)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIncludes Texas Tech University and High Plains Underground Water District; cooperative partner in Texas High Plains Initiative that helped expand conservation mission throughout the region

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Texas Water Development Board: State agency providing the bulk of NPGCD's grant funding for the meter reimbursement program and regional water planning. Not a direct competitor, but a key partner that shapes the District's funding model and program design.
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service: Co-developer of NPGCD's Cotton Video Series and extension partner on irrigation and agronomic research. Comparable in serving agricultural producer education needs in Texas and a partner rather than a competitor, but thematically aligned with the District's outreach and applied research mission.

Direct peers

• Llano Estacado Underground Water Conservation District: Adjacent Texas GCD covering parts of the southern Texas Panhandle and surrounding counties. Direct peer operating under Texas Water Code Chapter 36 with the same regulatory authority over wells, permits, and aquifer management in an Ogallala-dependent region.
• High Plains Water District: Neighboring Texas groundwater conservation district serving overlapping counties in the Panhandle, with whom NPGCD has a formal GTM partnership on the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Operates the same statutory model under Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code with comparable permitting, monitoring, and conservation programs.
• Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District: Texas GCD with overlapping mandate in the same Ogallala region. Comparable in scale, authority, and programs, and a structural peer for benchmarking rates, services, and producer engagement.
• South Plains Underground Water Conservation District: South Plains UWCD covers parts of the southern High Plains Ogallala region. Closely comparable in regulatory design, tax funding, agricultural customer base, and focus on Ogallala depletion management.
• Mesa Underground Water Conservation District: Mesa UWCD covers Dawson and adjoining counties over the Ogallala. Direct peer Texas GCD performing near-identical functions - well permitting, water quality testing, conservation education, and agricultural demonstration - for an irrigated-producer base.
• Sandy Land Underground Water Conservation District: Sandy Land UWCD serves Yoakum and adjacent counties over the Ogallala. A direct peer GCD with the same legal structure, tax-funded revenue model, and mandate to manage groundwater, making programs, scale, and political dynamics directly comparable.

Broad incumbents

• Harris-Galveston Subsidence District: Texas subsidence district managing groundwater withdrawal to prevent land subsidence. Notable peer for the regulatory construct of a fee-funded groundwater authority, regulatory permitting, and groundwater monitoring scale, though serving a coastal/aquifer system distinct from the Ogallala.
• Edwards Aquifer Authority: Texas aquifer authority with broader regulatory scope over the Edwards Aquifer in central Texas. Less direct overlap in geography, but a relevant peer for statutory groundwater regulatory authority, permitting frameworks, and educational programming at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NorthPlainsGCD
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCa1dRXChrFsyy3BOZgkyxzQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/NPGCD
• Instagraminstagram.com/northplainsgcd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-plains-groundwater-conservation-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Plains Groundwater Conservation District