Watersheds We Help Protect

Moffit Spring, Texas

Moffit Spring, situated in Walker County, Texas is located within the Interior Coastal Plains Province. The Interior Coastal Plains are generally comprised of alternating belts of sands and shales, which dip towards the Gulf of Mexico and erode into long, sandy ridges. Pine and hardwood timber forests and numerous streams characterize the East Texas region. The annual average precipitation for the site is 43.65 inches. The local sand units have high infiltration rates and high permeability. Site precipitation, which is not consumed by direct run-off or evapotranspiration, infiltrates these sands, and recharges the local unconfined and confined groundwater aquifer. Springs at the site emanate from these sands along local tensional faults and flow into Nelson Creek. The site is located within the Texas Water Development Board, Regional Water Planning Area H and Groundwater Management Area 14. The Moffit Spring site is regulated by the Bluebonnet Groundwater Conservation District and by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as a Public Water System.

QUICK FACTS*
Conserved Acres: 5,500
Total Acres: 5,544
2023 Withdrawals (Mgal): 84
% of Annual Watershed Precipitation: 3.4%
Water Stress: Medium

WATER WITHDRAWALS
The Moffit Spring site is situated on approximately 5,544 acres in Walker County, Texas within the Crabb Creek – Nelson Creek sub-watershed of the Nelson Creek – Lake Livingston watershed. The United States Geologic Survey stream gauging station 08065925 – Nelson Creek at FM 247 does not report total discharge, only gauge height. Nelson Creek gains streamflow volume throughout the site.

The site conceptual model uses a conservative aquifer recharge area of 2,500 acres to calculate the water balance (within 23,000+ acres of watershed overall). The 2023 calculated total volume into the system based on 36.37 inches of precipitation received is 7,556.3 acre-feet. The Moffit Spring 2023 withdrawal of 84,424,625 gallons represents 3.4% of that total.

SITE MONITORING
The BlueTriton’s Natural Resource Team and independent scientists regularly monitor the springs, groundwater system, wetlands, surface water bodies, stream flows and habitat in and around our site. These monitoring efforts are designed so that BlueTriton’s operations do not adversely affect the groundwater, surface water, or the natural environment.

RECENT MONITORING RESULTS
The following graph summarizes important measures of the general health of the natural spring and groundwater system. The graph includes groundwater well levels of on-site artesian monitoring wells. These water levels are compared against factory production volumes and the cumulative precipitation variance for the same timeframe. The sustainability of our operations is demonstrated by groundwater well levels fluctuating within a normal range even with our withdrawal and a cumulative precipitation deficit of approximately 18.27 inches at the end of 2023. The data variability in October 2023 is due to site maintenance.

DEFINITION OF A SPRING
A spring as defined by FDA is water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth. BlueTriton, in accordance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, utilizes boreholes (groundwater wells) to intercept and withdraw a portion of the flow of spring water in a hygienic manner.

SUMMARY
BlueTriton takes our water and environmental stewardship responsibilities seriously and we are committed to sustainable management and operation of natural resources. Precipitation, groundwater, surface water, wetland, and habitat monitoring will continue to be further developed as long as BlueTriton withdraws spring water here. Moffit Spring water withdrawals are reported to the Bluebonnet Groundwater Conservation District, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Texas Water Development Board. Water withdrawal operations have not resulted in adverse effects to groundwater, surface water, wetlands, or other natural resources.

RESOURCES & INFORMATION

BlueTriton is committed to increasing the transparency of our operations and water stewardship practices through our Reading Room.

Questions about Moffit Spring or the information contained in this summary can be directed to:

btbsustainability@bluetriton.com

Water withdrawals at Moffit Spring are regulated by:

*Footnotes:

  1. Conserved Acres represents the total land under management by BlueTriton that is where the natural environment is protected from development and pollution through the responsible management, development, and use of natural resources.

  2. Total Acres represents the total land under management by BlueTriton, including watersheds and wetlands. 

  3. Annual Withdrawals represent the total volume of freshwater withdrawn from spring sources during the reporting period. 

  4. Water Stress is an aggregate measure of basin physical risk which combines water scarcity, flooding, water quality and ecosystem services status. Water stress is calculated for each region using the WWF Water Risk Filter Tool.

  5. % Annual Watershed Precipitation means the amount of water that falls on an appropriately defined amount of land (e.g., watershed) that is relevant to a specific spring source in a year.