In East Texas, families, farmers, and small towns rely on groundwater for everything—from drinking and cooking to ranching and raising crops. But now, a Dallas millionaire is trying to drill into one of Texas’ largest aquifers and pump out nearly 16 billion gallons of water every year—not for East Texas, but likely to sell elsewhere for profit.

This water comes from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, a massive underground reservoir that stretches across much of East Texas. Locals already report having to dig deeper just to get water from their wells. If this extraction plan goes forward, it could dry up those wells completely—leaving families and businesses stranded.

What’s worse: some counties in the region have no production limits, and under the “rule of capture,” whoever pumps the most water the fastest gets to keep it. That means Kyle Bass and his private equity firm could pull billions of gallons out of East Texas—with no guarantee the aquifer can recover, and no obligation to protect the people who depend on it.

East Texans aren’t staying silent. Hundreds have spoken out at town halls. Local leaders, hydrologists, and landowners have warned that this could cause permanent damage—leading to subsidence, flood risk, and water shortages that threaten the entire region.

We’re calling on Texas state lawmakers, the Neches & Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District, and local officials to block this proposal until a full environmental impact review is conducted and enforceable limits are set.

This isn’t about politics—it’s about protecting our land, our water, and our future. Once this water is gone, we can’t get it back.

Sign now to demand lawmakers protect East Texas water before it’s too late.