The Groundwater Certificates in Midland TX: The 30-Year Water Guarantee
Texas counties now require a Groundwater Availability Certification before any land subdivision of more than ten lots can move forward. Magrym is the Midland engineering firm that performs the study and signs the certification, with a licensed PE on every report, delivering groundwater certificates developers can rely on.
Something Changed in Texas. If You Are Subdividing Land, It Affects You.
Until recently, a developer could carve a piece of West Texas into lots and bring it to market without ever proving that water existed on the parcel. That is no longer the case. Texas now requires a groundwater availability certification for subdivisions of more than ten lots before approval. Local cities and counties enforce it. There is no path around it.
The reason the requirement exists is older than the law. Families bought lots, built homes, and then found out the wells could not produce. Land lost its value. Neighborhoods were abandoned. The state acted because developers had been selling parcels with nothing underneath them. The certification stands between the project you are trying to approve and the worst discovery a future homeowner can make.
Magrym Consulting is the Midland engineering firm that performs the groundwater availability study and signs the certification. Our work is sealed by a licensed Texas PE. We are on the ground in the Permian Basin. We deliver a defensible certification confirming a minimum of 30 years of available water on the subject parcel as of the study date.
What the Certification Confirms
A Groundwater Availability Certification is more than a form. It is the engineering record that protects the project, the lender, and every family that buys a lot inside it.
30-Year Availability Study
A complete hydrogeologic evaluation of the subject parcel, sized to demonstrate a minimum of thirty years of available water supply as of the study date. This hydrogeological assessment forms the technical foundation of the certification.
- Aquifer characterization for the parcel
- Projected demand based on lot count
- 30-year drawdown projection
PE-Sealed Certification
The certification document is signed and sealed by a licensed Texas Professional Engineer, the licensed engineer for groundwater certification on every report. That signature is what the city or county requires for plat approval.
- Licensed PE signature and seal
- Defensible engineering basis
- AHJ-ready submittal format
Subdivision-Ready Report
The deliverable is a written report with the certification on top. It is built to be submitted to the city or county as part of your plat approval package.
- Bound, sealed, submission-ready
- Digital copy for plat record
- Plain-language executive summary
Local Aquifer Knowledge
Permian Basin aquifers behave differently than the rest of Texas. Our engineers work this geology every week, on well pads, lease roads, and now subdivisions.
- Ogallala and Edwards-Trinity coverage
- Pecos Valley and Dockum coverage
- Field presence across West Texas
County and City Coordination
We deliver the certification, and when the AHJ has questions, we answer them. The submittal does not stall waiting on a third party to respond.
- AHJ submission support
- Response to county engineer review
- Revision packages if requested
Integration With Site Work
If you also need the survey, the civil engineering, or the environmental work for the same parcel, our team handles those under one contract.
- Boundary and topographic survey
- Civil engineering and site design
- Environmental assessments
Who the Certification Is For
The developer is the paying client. The county is the requiring authority. The family buying a lot is the one the certification ultimately protects. Groundwater certification for land development exists to protect all three.
Land Developers
If you are subdividing more than ten lots in Texas, your plat will not be approved without this certification. Magrym delivers the water supply certification for subdivision approval your project needs, and signs it so the project can move forward.
Builders and Homebuilders
Production builders acquiring land for residential subdivisions need groundwater certification for land development to clear plat approval and protect downstream sales contracts and warranty exposure.
Counties and Cities
If you are a local government in Texas, you can refer applicants to Magrym as a licensed engineering firm prepared to deliver a defensible certification that meets your subdivision review standards.
Lenders and Title Companies
Construction lenders and title insurers underwriting subdivisions in Texas need confirmation that plat approval is not held up by a missing or deficient groundwater certification on the parcel.
A Local Firm Built to Sign the Certification You Need
This is a small, specialized service with very few qualified providers in the region. Magrym is among the region’s most trusted providers of Texas groundwater availability certification services, the Midland engineering firm with the licenses, the field presence, and the engineering judgment to produce a certification that holds up at the county and the courthouse.
- Licensed Texas PE seals every certification
- Headquartered in Midland, working West Texas every week
- AASHTO accredited materials lab and licensed PG on staff
- Survey, civil, and environmental work under one roof
- HUB and DBE certified, Minority-Owned
Our Certification Process
From scope to sealed certification. A straightforward path, run by the same engineer from intake to delivery.
Intake and Scope
We review the parcel, the proposed lot count, and the requiring authority, beginning every professional groundwater availability assessment with a fixed-fee proposal and a delivery timeline within the same week.
Field and Desktop Study
We characterize the aquifer beneath the parcel, project demand from the lot count, and build the 30-year availability model that supports the certification, producing the hydrogeological report for groundwater availability that anchors your submittal.
Engineering Review
A licensed Texas PE reviews the model, the assumptions, and the documentation, then prepares the certification language and signs and seals the report.
Certification Delivery
You receive a sealed, AHJ-ready report with the certification on top. If the county or city has follow-up questions, we respond directly so plat approval keeps moving.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Groundwater Availability Certification is a sealed engineering document confirming that a specific parcel of Texas land has at least thirty years of available water supply as of the study date. It is produced by a licensed engineering firm after a hydrogeologic study of the parcel. The certification is what local governments require before approving a subdivision plat above the regulated lot threshold, making Groundwater availability certification for subdivisions a required step in Texas land development.
Texas law established the requirement, but local cities and counties are the enforcement authority. The county engineer or city development services department reviews plat applications and will not approve a subdivision above the regulated lot threshold unless a current Groundwater Availability Certification is on file. As of early 2025, this is in active enforcement across the state.
Timing depends on the parcel size, the aquifer, and the lot count, but most hydrogeological assessment work in West Texas can be completed within a few weeks of intake. Call Magrym at (432) 684-5548 with the parcel and lot count, and we will give you a specific timeline and a fixed-fee proposal the same week.
The certification confirms that, as of the study date, the parcel has a minimum of thirty years of available groundwater supply to serve the proposed subdivision at projected demand. It is a forward-looking engineering judgment based on aquifer characterization and projected use. The thirty-year horizon is the protection the state built into the law for the families who will eventually live there.
The requirement applies to subdivisions of more than ten lots. Below that threshold, a certification is not required by the state. Some counties may have additional or stricter local rules. If you are unsure where your project falls, call Magrym at (432) 684-5548 and we will walk through it with you.
The study and the certification must be performed by a licensed engineering firm with a Texas Professional Engineer on staff to sign the certification. Magrym Consulting is the Midland-based firm that handles this work, recognized among Texas groundwater availability certification services operating throughout the Permian Basin. We are licensed Texas PE, located in the Permian Basin, with a licensed PG and an AASHTO accredited lab on the same project number when needed.
The study is the engineering work, including aquifer analysis, demand projection, and the thirty-year availability model. The certification is the signed and sealed statement that the licensed PE delivers on top of the study. The county requires the certification. The study is what makes the certification defensible. You receive both as one bound report.
Keep Your Plat Approval Moving
When your subdivision needs groundwater certificates, do not let plat approval stall.
Magrym delivers a PE-sealed groundwater availability certification confirming thirty years of water supply,
scoped around your development timeline. Call (432) 684-5548 to get a delivery timeline and a fixed-fee proposal this week.