Brazos Watermaster

The Brazos Watermaster Program administers water rights in the Brazos River basin downstream of, and including, Possum Kingdom Lake.

Important information Temporary water right applications should be submitted directly to our Watermaster email box at brazoswm@tceq.texas.gov.

Please submit any payments for temporary water right applications to:

TCEQ Central Office
Mail Code 160, PO Box 13087
Austin, Texas 78711-3087

Epay is also available to electronically submit payments for temporary water use permits for up to 10 acre-feet and up to one calendar year.

Tempory Permit Epay Instructions

Jurisdiction

The Brazos Watermaster Program is responsible for an area that encompasses 41 counties in central and east Texas.

River Basin	Counties
Brazos River Basin downstream and including Possum Kingdom Lake	Austin, Bastrop, Bell, Bosque, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Callahan, Comanche, Coryell, Eastland, Erath, Falls, Fayette, Fort Bend, Freestone, Grimes, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Lampasas, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Palo Pinto, Parker, Robertson, Somervell, Stephens, Travis, Waller, Washington, and Williamson

Six field deputies patrol these counties from offices located in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco and Angleton. That means the deputies oversee a constantly changing, dynamic surface-water system of rivers and tributaries that allow diversions as water is available and as it passes individual diversion points.

Duties of the Watermaster

Duties include:

allocating water per the adjudicated water rights
monitoring stream flow, reservoir levels, and water use within the basin
enforcing compliance with water rights
responding to complaints

The watermaster will also oversee situations where a diversion would remove water that rightfully belongs to another user. In that case the watermaster could, if needed, notify the user with lower priority to reduce or stop pumping. When streamflows diminish, the watermaster will allocate available water among the water right holders according to each user’s priority date.

Water Diverters Responsibilities

A diverter is any water right holder, agent, or contractual buyer who impounds, takes, diverts, or transports water in a watercourse, or makes a dedicated release of state water. Diverters in the watermaster area will be responsible for:

Installing a measuring device
Notifying the watermaster before diverting water
Submitting a report when pumping is completed
Complying with the rules of the Commission

Fees for Water Right Holders

Water right holders will be required to pay an annual fee. Each account will be assessed a base fee (currently $50) plus a use fee based on the type of use and amount of water authorized in the permit.

Forms and Documents

Brazos Watermaster Advisory Committee

Advisory Committee Information

This Watermaster Program was established by petition and subsequent Order issued by the TCEQ Commissioners on April 21, 2014.

Contact Information

Molly Mohler, Brazos Watermaster
TCEQ Waco Regional Office
6801 Sanger Ave, Ste 2500
Waco, TX 76710-7826 Main Line: (254) 761-3006 Fax: (254) 761-3067 E-mail: brazoswm@tceq.texas.gov