Posted: Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:17 AM - 14,049 Readers

By: Jo Karr Tedder & Janet Caylor

The current drought changes everything about water management in Texas. At least it should.

For three-quarters of a century, the system has worked. One look at Lake Travis or Lake Buchanan, where our region's drinking water used to reside, tells us it no longer does.

White rings around the lakes mark the retreat of our water supply. Like the rings of a tree, they tell a story. The highest rings remind us of lost recreation and quality of life for visitors and locals alike. The middle rings mark restaurant closings, empty hotel rooms and the loss of hospitality industry jobs. Lower levels remind us that sales taxes dry up like the small pools of water left behind as the lake continue to shrink.

These impacts are not just local. Without a dependable water supply, new industry will not come to Central Texas. We will lose not only the jobs in communities around the lakes, but we'll lose the opportunities for the new jobs that come with new industries.

This week, the Lower Colorado River Authority has the opportunity to approve changes to the way it manages the Highland Lakes. The Central Texas Water Coalition has been deeply involved in the development of this plan, representing the constituencies directly reliant on the lakes.

The new water management plan should be adopted and its implementation expedited. Then, adaptive management addressing the needs of the entire basin, including the downstream agricultural interests must be developed.

The new plan provides more certainty to the 200 or so rice farmers, who now use the lion's share of the Colorado River water (60 to 70 percent), and to the million plus people who rely on the lakes for drinking water.

But this temporary solution is not a complete "fix." In the old days, it was good enough for local interests to work out local problems. The drought has proved that this system is outdated.

LCRA has been carefully balancing interests and keeping its fingers crossed for enough rain to bail it out before its water intake pipes start sucking mud from the lake bottom. The plan does not, however, add a drop of water to supplies and does not commit LCRA to providing additional clarity about how it handles our water supply.

It's time for LCRA's overseers, members of the Texas Legislature, to take a more active role. We need more water and the funding to get it. Period. The LCRA has done an admirable job of providing water in times of the normal drought and flood cycle. But now, we need a change in management style and serious investment in additional water supplies.

The Legislature can also help the LCRA by increasing its oversight. LCRA needs a third-party review of how much water it sells. Troubling questions remain about whether it has oversold its inventory.

Third-party annual audits of water and financial operations and a thorough Sunset Advisory Commission Review should also be ordered by the Legislature to increase public confidence. State agencies go through Sunset; why shouldn't the entity we're trusting to manage our water do the same?

The old way was good enough when 100,000 people relied on the river and lakeside interests were a few fishing camps and bait shops. Look around — Central Texas' water supply is now a state issue.

Tedder is Lake Buchanan Central Texas Water Coalition president. Caylor is Lake Travis Central Texas Water Coalition vice president. They are founders of The Central Texas Water Coalition. Get more information at 
www.OurWater-OurFuture.com.

*  Story Contributed by: Jo Karr Tedder & Janet Caylor