Banks is the leading provider of Municipal Setting Designation (MSD) data packages in Texas, supporting environmental professionals through the extensive research required for an MSD application.

A Texas MSD is an official designation that restricts future use of contaminated groundwater as potable water. Obtaining one requires much more than defining the affected property. Applicants need to identify wells, public water systems, utility service areas, municipalities, surrounding property ownership, and the parties who must ultimately receive notice. Banks does the research-heavy portion of that work and delivers it in a package designed for the consultant preparing the application.

A full Banks MSD Package includes Half-Mile Water Well Report, Five-Mile Water Well Report, Five-Mile Public Water System Report, Retail Utility Service Boundary / CCN Map, Water District Map, Public Water System Table, MSD Municipal Report, Ownership Spreadsheet, Real Property Table, Methods Letter, MSD boundary shapefile, Houston mailout templates, where applicable

The result is a coordinated set of reports, maps, tables, GIS data, and supporting documentation that gives the environmental professional the information needed to move forward with the MSD process.

Banks identifies water wells and public water systems within the required area and researches the associated owners and responsible parties so the consultant has the information needed for the notification process. Property ownership research likewise turns parcels into usable ownership records and mailing information rather than leaving the applicant with raw appraisal or GIS data.

MSD research involves data from many different sources, and those sources do not always agree. Well locations can be uncertain. Ownership changes. Mailing addresses become obsolete. Parcels split or combine. Public-water records and property records may use different names or identifiers.

That is why Banks MSD packages receive extensive human research and review. Our experienced researchers carefully check the records that go into the final ownership, well, utility, and property tables rather than treating the project as an automated database export. This meticulous approach is the foundation of a product Banks has specialized in since Texas authorized the MSD program in 2003.

Texas is the center of Banks' MSD work and the program for which our research process was built. We handle MSD data packages throughout the state and are the leading provider of this specialized research in Texas.

Similar groundwater-use restriction programs also exist elsewhere. Banks can support comparable projects in select states, including work associated with Ohio's Urban Setting Designation program and New Jersey's groundwater-use restriction framework, adapting the research package to the requirements of the applicable jurisdiction.

Banks does not submit the MSD application or send the required notifications. We provide the researched information that makes those tasks substantially easier.

For Texas MSD requirements, applicants and consultants can refer to the TCEQ Municipal Setting Designation program and Texas Health and Safety Code §§361.801–361.808.