Perry Announces Prison Labor
To Clear Brush Over Aquifer

AUSTIN — Texas Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry Monday announced the first project in Texas utilizing inmate labor on state parklands specifically to remove water-trapping brush with a goal of enhancing spring flows and recharge rates over aquifers.

"For several years now, Gov. George W. Bush and I have advocated using prison labor on public lands for brush control," Perry said. "Such a move makes sense because it provides our inmate labor force with a project that truly benefits the public at a minimal cost to taxpayers while also enhancing our water resources in a way that is environmentally sensitive."

Perry spoke at the Government Canyon State Natural Area west of San Antonio, where preliminary work is underway to remove large sections of Ashe juniper. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service is about to begin studies of rainfall and recharge rates in the park's section that covers the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. Data from these studies will establish a baseline recharge rate that can be used for comparison after the brush is removed.

Brush removal on Government Canyon land directly over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone will not begin until NRCS completes its studies. Once the baseline data is gathered, results from the project are expected to demonstrate that brush control can be done selectively to create more water while also protecting sensitive habitat.

"This is a project that I believe is vitally important to the future of San Antonio and South Texas," Perry said.

Perry noted that cedar is a major water-wasting plant in Texas, and the species found in Government Canyon, Ashe juniper, is among the worst. Regions that are covered by up to a third in Ashe juniper see almost half of their annual rainfall lost to evaporation with cedar branches trapping and holding the water before it hits the ground. Some areas around Government Canyon are infested by as much as 80 percent with Ashe juniper, meaning much of the rain that does fall never reaches the ground — or more important, never makes it into the Edwards Aquifer.

Allan Polunsky, chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, said the brush-clearing pilot project meets the TDCJ’s goal of employing offenders for the public's benefit.

"At the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, we are very excited about the potential of using inmates on public lands to create more water," Polunsky said. "The intensive labor that our agency can provide is uniquely needed on many public lands and state parks, which contain sensitive ecological areas."

Perry added that heavy equipment, such as bulldozers, is generally used to remove brush. However, manual labor is needed for selective brush removal on many state lands to protect habitats and archeological sites. The project will utilize guidelines developed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

On private lands, a low-interest loan program, the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority's Linked Deposit Program, has been expanded to help farmers and ranchers pay for brush removal and other water conservation projects. But more incentives are needed, the commissioner said.

"Clearly, water conservation is going to play a critical role in meeting our state's future water needs," Perry said. "With a well-planned brush control program and by providing private landowners more incentives for similar projects, I know we can and we will help fulfill the future water supply needs of our growing state."