Small Town News

Impasse on lake levels decision likely

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Members of a key Lower Colorado River Authority committee charged with formulating a plan for future management of the Highland Lakes apparently have reached an impasse over how low the volume of water in Lakes Buchanan and Travis should be allowed to fall during severe drought conditions.

Representatives of irrigators and rice farmers in the Lower Colorado River basin and environmentalists concerned with protecting species in the river and Matagorda Bay are aligned against a coalition of lakes area businesses and residents and firm water customers such as the cities of Austin, Burnet and Marble Falls.

East Lake Buchanan resident Jo Karr Tedder, one of the leaders of the lakes interests on the committee, said the members from the agriculture and environmental interests have turned obstinate and display little or no concern for the plight of lakes area residents and businesses if the lake levels fall to record-low levels if severe drought conditions persist this summer.

"Our focus has always been on looking at this issue basin-wide," an exasperated Tedder said. "But the irrigators and environmentalists are looking at this only from their point of view. They don't have a lot of give in them."

Tedder and Burnet City Manager David Vaughn, who represents firm water interests on the committee, agree it is unlikely the two sides will reach consensus by a June deadline LCRA has imposed.

"At this point it is highly unlikely the group will reach consensus anytime in the near future," Vaughn said Tuesday.

Committee members who represent the agriculture interests could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The rice farmers and environmentalists pay lip service to the need to cooperate and reach a consensus, but have been unwilling to follow through, Tedder said.

"As a group we talk and agree in concept, then when we start talking about real numbers there is no movement at all," she added.

The 2009 drought saw the levels in Lakes Buchanan and Travis fall to near-record levels, severely damaging businesses such as marinas and resorts and imperiling the water supply for more than a million residents in the Highland Lakes region and Central Texas.

Lakes Area residents, business owners and government officials have grown frustrated by LCRA contract agreements with the rice farmers and other agriculture interests in Matagorda, Wharton and Colorado counties.

Firm water customers such as Austin, Burnet and Marble Falls pay approximately $ 160 per acre foot for the water they buy from LCRA, while the agriculture interests pay about $5.50 per acre foot.

The difference is because the rice farmers and others are interruptible customers, but in 70 years LCRA has not once curtailed their water allocation.

The explosion of growth in Austin, Travis County, the Highland Lakes region and other parts of the upper basin have changed the dynamics of how water from the Colorado River and the lakes should be allocated, lake interests committee members maintain.

"They (the rice farmers and environmentalists) don't care about residents and businesses," Tedder said. "They simply look at it as This is our water.' Their attitude is one of "You chose to live on these reservoirs and this is what you get."

Vaughn said the lakes are already showing severe stress from the recent prolonged dry conditions, but said it could get much worse.

"They haven't even begun releasing those huge amounts of water for the rice farmers downstream yet," Vaughn said." When they get around to doing that it's really going to have a dramatic effect on the lake levels"

LCRA communications official Clara Tuma said if there is a need for additional time for the committee members to reach consensus, LCRA board members will be asked to okay it.

"If it appears there is a stalemate on some issues LCRA will report input from the committee members to the board and discuss with the board what kind of policy the water management plan should include," Tuma said.



Copyright 2011 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 SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 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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