Future Of Texas Water Rests
With The Voters In November

By Bob Bullock
Texas Lt. Governor

Texans soon will have a chance to vote on our state's future.

Two amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot will change the state's constitution and play a critical role in making sure Texas has enough water for the next century.

One amendment will allow property tax relief on land using water conservation measures. The other will give the Texas Water Development Board greater flexibility in financing a wide variety of critically-needed water projects without increasing the state's bond debt limit.

The two votes cap a 40-year span of false starts in developing a long-range, comprehensive state water plan. Lawmakers last spring approved a master plan to conserve, develop and manage the state's valuable water resources.

Now it's up to Texas voters.

Failure to get behind the effort could produce disastrous results in the future. Texas grew from 11.2 million people in 1970 to more than 19 million in 1997. And the state's population is expected to reach more than 33.8 million in 2030 — a 99 percent increase since 1990.

Although the numbers underscore the challenges facing the state, they don't reflect the water shortages Texans have lived with on a regular basis. The state has suffered through five major drouths since the 1930s, including a catastrophic seven-year drouth in the 1950s.

The most recent drouth in 1995-96 cost Texas farmers, ranchers and businesses an estimated $5 billion in damages. Federal disaster relief blamed on water shortages went to 242 of the state's 254 counties.

But historically, widespread concern about water supplies has washed away when the first drenching rains fill our lakes, rivers and streams.

Texans soon forget the water restrictions that scorched their lawns, and the billions of dollars of crops and parched cattle devastated under the glare of the summer sun.

But the threat never goes away. Despite rapid urbanization, farms and ranches remain a vital and important part of the Texas economy. Other businesses and industries need adequate water too, and Texas needs them to keep the state's economy in high gear.

The Legislature gave top priority to a water bill this year. The law mixes a variety of strategies to meet future demands.

It deals with drought management response, water management, marketing and transfers, surface and groundwater supplies, financial assistance to local governments and small communities, and data collection.

The law tackles just about every single facet of water resource policy and management, with one exception — public apathy.

Like most Americans, Texans take a lot for granted. They expect to have water when they turn on the faucet to wash their hands, scrub their dishes or brush their teeth.

Unfortunately, taking it for granted that the amendments to the state's water plan will pass is gambling with Texas' future.

A better bet would be to vote yes for the water proposals in November.