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As Rice Farmers in Texas Turn to Groundwater, Can They Stay Afloat?

Facing the third straight year of cutoffs for irrigation water from the Lower Colorado River Authority, some Gulf Coast-area rice farmers are spending millions of dollars drilling wells to pump groundwater instead.

by Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal
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A rice field near Bay City, Texas.
Credit: Michael Stravato

Facing the third straight year of cutoffs for irrigation water from the Lower Colorado River Authority, some Gulf Coast-area rice farmers are spending millions of dollars drilling wells to pump groundwater instead. 

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