Created in 1951 by local residents and confirmed by the State Legislature, the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 is charged with the responsibility of conserving, preserving, protecting, and preventing waste of groundwater within its 16-county service area. It is the first groundwater conservation district created in Texas. The original boundaries of the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District were delineated in March 1951 by the State Board of Water Engineers. In September 1951, people in 13 Southern High Plains counties voted to create the district for the purpose of conserving, preserving, protecting and recharging the underground water of Subdivision No. 1 of the Underground Water Reservoir, High Plains Area, South of the Canadian River in Texas, as authorized by Article 7880-3c Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas (Acts of the 51st Legislature, 1949, Ch. 306, Page 559) and Article XVI, Section 51 of the Texas Constitution. After several annexation elections, the High Plains Water District serves an area of 11,850 square miles or 7,587,359 acres. Our 16-county service area includes Bailey, Cochran, Hale, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Parmer, and Swisher Counties, as well as portions of Armstrong, Castro, Crosby, Deaf Smith, Floyd, Hockley, Potter, and Randall Counties.