Amid Drought, Water Wars Pick Up on Borders
*Correction appended
As Texas' drought wears into its third year, water fights are accelerating within the state as farmers, cities and industry compete for limited supplies from dwindling reservoirs. But many of these seem like small-scale skirmishes compared with the complex and high-stakes battles along Texas' borders that stem from pacts signed decades ago.
Texas is currently locked in a legal conflict over water with New Mexico, and a North Texas county is suing to get access to a vast amount of water — more than 460,000 acre-feet, equivalent to a year's supply for several Austin-size cities — from Oklahoma ...
Comments (3)
hans5162@ix.netcom.com hans
Just cut taxes. The vibrant economy will bring rain according to Governor Dumbass.
Kim Feil
Drilling for oil and gas using the "uproven safe” rather new, unconventional, technology called hydrofracturing only worsens the drought and risks contamination of acquifers. Sustained Casing Pressure issues are not a question of “if", but “when" casing integrity fails and "to what extent”.... God help us for not drastically pursuing solar and wind ....I would sign a contract to allow big oil and gas to charge me for the wind and sun and let them continue making their expected profits so that my children have a chance on a livable planet...I think that sounds fair?
Jim Vance
Both Texas and New Mexico should work together on maximizing the efficiency of agricultural water usage in the relatively arid regions where longstanding irrigation practices established decades ago could benefit from coordinated programs in conjunction with USDA to enhance conservation through directing assistance to the farm operators for purchase and deployment of improved technology that might actually increase crop yields with less water use. In some cases, that might also include a change in the type of crop that requires less water but which can produce comparable economic revenue to the operator.