Small Town News

LCRA water contracts still major issue

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Water issues of every description--short term, long term, conservation, agriculture--are a never-ending source of consternation for officials of local government entities.

That point was borne out Friday when Burnet County commissioners hosted a water issues meeting for surrounding area government officials and others with a vital interest in water.

In the short term, Lower Colorado River Authority officials decided last week to release 40 percent less water to rice farmers downstream this year than it did last year if the total combined storage in lakes Buchanan and Travis was less than 1.4 million acre feet as of Monday.

David Walker, LCRA supervisor of river management, said Monday the combined storage in the two lakes was 1,335,000 acre feet and that 250,000 acre feet would be taken out of storage for irrigation purposes, mainly for the rice farmers downstream. That is a reduction of 195,000 acre feet from last year's release.

An acre foot is the volume of water--43,560 cubic feet or 325,851 gallons--that will cover an acre to a depth of one foot.

The LCRA's decision will help its upstream customers, cities, other government municipalities and private companies that supply water to them, but it still might not be enough as the Highland Lakes area continues to deal with the effects of two-year-old drought conditions that have lowered lakes Buchanan and Travis to near historic lows.

"That still does not mean we have enough water," said Crista Bromley, Burnet's director of economic development, of the LCRA's proposed curtailing of water to the downstream farmers.

Possible good news in the short term lies in the fact that 2010 appears to be an E1 Nino year, which means rainfall could be heavier than normal this spring.

El Nino refers to the warming of the Pacific Ocean that occurs every decade or so and often causes unusual global weather patterns.

El Nino could result in a 30 percent increase in rainfall in Central Texas this spring, LCRA officials have speculated, and probably was responsible for a three to five inch increase from October to December last year.

"Obviously this is all crystal ball stuff," Burnet County Pct. 4 Commissioner Joe Don Dockery said at Friday's meeting. "What the good Lord gives, he gives us."

A particularly vexing long-term issue facing several Highland Lakes cities and other entities is whether to continue to reserve contracts with the LCRA for water in the future.

Most of them have contracts with the LCRA to purchase water for the next several years, but the LCRA is nearing the limit on the amount of water it will ever make available to the various entities.

In other words, when it is gone it's gone for good, so should the entities contract with LCRA while there is still time in order to accommodate future growth?

"The city of Burnet currently has three times more water than what we anticipate we will need for the next several years," said Burnet assistant city manager and planning director David Vaughn. "A lot of people don't believe LCRA is really going to have that amount of water if they ever need it, so you have to make a decision about whether to contract for it and pay 10 or 15 years of expensive reservation fees and maybe end up never needing it or it not being there when and if you do need it.

"On the other hand, this is it," he added. "When it's gone it's gone and if you don't buy it someone else will. It's a balancing act and a decision everyone has to make based on their own situation and best interests."

The good thing for Burnet and many of the other entities, Vaughn said, is that it is better to have a good supply of surface water from the likes of the Ellenburger and Trinity aquifers and not have to be so dependent on buying water from the LCRA.

"Both of those aquifers are very good producers and we feel we are in good shape," Vaughn said.

Encouraging, but controlling, developers will always be a tug of war for government officials.

"We have to control development and not the other way around," Vaughn said. "Developers should have to prove they have a source of water and plans for wastewater before they are allowed to proceed.

"You can't let their desire to make a quick buck become your problems down the road."

On the agriculture front, officials were urged to educate farmers and ranchers on the need to maintain stock ponds that don't leak and to essentially declare war on cedar trees.

"They (cedar trees) are prodigious water users," Burnet County AgriLife Extension agent Wade Hibler said.



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© 2010 Burnet Bulletin Burnet, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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