The Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District at its December 13, 2011 regular board meeting approved extending the moratorium on issuing permits for new wells in the Ellenburger and Hensel aquifer within Gillespie County for another 90 days. This does not include domestic or livestock wells or replacement of existing permitted wells. Although the current rains have helped with some recharge, water levels are still low when compared to winter levels in previous years. This is concerning since water level rebound this winter may not be sufficient to avoid from having dramatic declines in the coming summer months in 2012. Current long term weather forecasts indicate that the drought may extend beyond next year, despite the recent wet conditions. (full article)