The past few months have brought a lot of changes to the Presidio County Underground Water Conservation District. On July 1, I tendered my resignation as general manager with three months’ notice to find and train a replacement.
The district then formed a hiring committee in July to interview two very strong candidates that applied for the job. And on August 20, the district’s Board of Directors voted to hire Tina Neufeld to be the new general manager. She will officially assume the role on October 1.
Neufeld is a geoscience professional with experience in groundwater research, data management, and science communication. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in geology degree at Sul Ross State University, where she also received her Bachelor of Science in geology degree in 2023. Neufeld’s graduate advisor, Dr. Kevin Urbanczyk, already serves as the district’s data specialist, and their strong working relationship will greatly enhance the expansion of the district’s monitoring capabilities and understanding of the region’s aquifers.
A native of Seminole, Texas, Neufeld brings experience to the job as a research assistant, teaching assistant, and instructor. She hopes to employ these skills in public outreach and education around groundwater. She has also gained valuable field experience through an internship with the National Association of Geoscience Teachers/United States Geological Survey Summer Fellowship Program, as well as through her work as a field research assistant with the Rio Grande Research Center at Sul Ross.
The district also voted on August 20 to recommend that the Presidio County Commissioners Court appoint Austin Thomas to the PCUWCD Board of Directors to replace Brenda Witty, who has served on the board for many years. Witty joined the board in 2019, and became board chair in 2022, when I stepped down to fill the role of general manager. Witty has been a strong and supportive chair, whose leadership steered the district through many challenges in recent years. Witty will be replaced as board chair by Cam McClintock, who was officially voted into that role at the district’s July meeting. Glorissel Muniz was also voted into the role of board secretary at that same meeting. Muniz will replace David Williams, who is stepping down as board secretary, but will remain on the board.
On September 9, the county commissioners appointed Thomas to the PCUWCD Board of Directors, and he will be sworn in ahead of the district’s upcoming meeting on September 17 in Marfa. Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences, specializing in hydrology and physical geology. He also earned a master’s degree in resource and environmental science from Texas State University, where his work focused on Texas water policy. Thomas currently lives in Presidio, where he operates a construction company that assists homeowners throughout the region with setting up rainwater catchment and solar power systems.
While my resignation may come as a shock to many of you, I can assure you that I have not made this decision suddenly or in the heat of the moment. It is the culmination of many disparate developments and the product of several years of careful planning.
During my tenure as general manager and, before that, as board chairman, the district has tackled a variety of issues. We had no monitor wells when I started. The district relied on fickle funding from the county commissioners. And the cities of Marfa and Presidio, as well as all of the county’s public water supply systems, were operating under a dubious exemption in the Texas Water Code. But through hard work and perseverance, the district has accomplished a lot over these past eight years.
We became a data provider to the National Ground-water Monitoring Network of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), unlocking tens of thousands of dollars in funding to establish a county-wide monitoring system that includes 22 wells. We sought and maintained relationships with local foundations to cover the matches for our USGS grants, greatly expanding the collection of groundwater data in Presidio County.
We partnered with the Dixon Water Foundation to create a series of educational videos about groundwater, Texas law, and the indispensable role of our groundwater district in ensuring local control of Presidio County’s groundwater resources. The videos became part of a campaign in 2023, known as Proposition 1, that sought voter approval of a new ad valorem tax to guarantee a secure funding source for the district. The proposition passed with 85% of the vote.
And finally, we successfully rallied the cities of Presidio and Marfa to opt out of the 36.121 exemption of the Texas Water Code, obtain operating permits from the district, and achieve the greatest protection possible under the law for our water supplies. Through the successful amendment of the district’s enabling legislation, which the governor signed in May of 2025, the county is now protected against the pitfalls posed by this dodgy exemption. This protection is especially important because the majority of the county’s residents live in Presidio and Marfa.
None of these successes would have been possible without the steadfast support of the district’s Board of Directors. It is the slow, unsexy work of showing up for meetings, ensuring quorums, passing budgets, considering permit applications, and planning for the future that make the district — and our democracy — work. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the sitting members of the Presidio County Underground Water Conservation District, including (in alphabetical order): Vince Fuentez, Fernando Juarez, Cameron McClintock, Mark Morrison, Glorissel Muniz, and David Williams. I would also like to thank all past board members who served during my time with the district, including (in alphabetical order): Ruben Brito, Vicky Carrasco, Tony Manriquez, Leah Menzer, John Razo, Malynda Richardson, Patt Sims, Garey Willbanks, and Brenda Witty. May your unsung efforts inspire others to serve their communities.
Huge special thanks also to Dr. Kevin Urbanczyk, whose tireless efforts on behalf of the district have been unequaled. Without his knowledge, expertise, and commitment, the district’s monitoring system would never have gotten off the ground.
There is still much work to be done, including the characterization of the Igneous Aquifer, the expansion of our monitoring system to include precipitation gauges, and the balancing of our local groundwater needs with the demands of the federal project to wall off the Rio Grande. But as I hand the reins to the next generation of leadership, I am confident that the new GM will have the full support of the board, along with the skills and energy necessary to keep this district moving forward as a model for tiny, underfunded districts all over Texas.
Words can hardly express my gratitude to the publishers and editors at Big Bend Sentinel. It has been a tremendous pleasure for me to collaborate with them over the years to bring you these columns, a task I have always approached primarily as a public service. If the columns have accomplished anything, I hope that they have inspired you — the readers — to stay curious, serve others, disseminate knowledge, and raise awareness about the many different issues we face as a species as we enter the uncharted waters of our shared future.
