Figure 4⁵

The rivers in Texas allow the state to harness water in many reservoirs throughout the state. These reservoirs act as a main water source in areas that do no have the capacity to draw ground water to meet the needs of agriculture, municipalities, business, and industry. The majority of reservoirs are in the eastern part of Texas, which is aptly called "The Lakes Area" by many residents of Texas. Our Texas lakes also provide an economic boost to surrounding cities through tourism from fishing tournaments, and other recreational activities involving the lakes. According to the Texas Almanac, Texas has nearly 5,000 square miles of inland water. As mentioned earlier, there are current conflicts between the Dallas water planning administrators, and the North East Texas water planning administrators. The conflict between these two groups is over a proposed reservoir, Marvin Nichols Reservoir, that Dallas wants built in North East Texas. Dallas residents would have to foot the construction bill for the proposed reservoir, but they would also have the water rights to the proposed lake. Land owners where the lake is proposed to be built, timber companies, and environmental groups have joined together in an attempt to block the building of Marvin Nichols Reservoir.⁸ Scheduled to be completed in 2030, the $1.7 billion project would cover as much as 72,000 acres in Red River, Morris and Titus counties and deliver 161 billion gallons of water per year (or 80 percent) to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex via 172 miles of pipeline.⁹ East Texas has many of the largest man-made lakes in the State of Texas. Sam Rayburn Reservoir, about twenty miles east of Lufkin, is the largest lake wholly within the state boundary of Texas. Stephen Abraham, planning director for the City of Lufkin, says that Lufkin currently has sufficient water supply for the city. Abraham says that currently about 25% of Lufkin’s water goes to it’s largest water user, Pilgrims Pride Corporation. Abraham said that if Pilgrims Pride were to double production or another large water consuming company were to locate in Lufkin, that the city would have to rely on an alternate source of water. In the case for the City of Lufkin, that alternate water source would be Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Abraham says that the City of Lufkin bought water rights to Sam Rayburn in the 1960’s, but has yet to exercise those rights. Abraham also said that Lufkin was the only city currently with water rights from Sam Rayburn Reservoir.¹¹ Toledo Bend Reservoir, located on the border with Louisiana about 60 miles east of Lufkin, is also one of the largest lakes in the state. According to the Region C water planning district in Dallas, there are proposals to build a water pipeline from Toledo Bend to Dallas. This water pipe has an estimated cost of over one billion dollars. Another large East Texas lake is Lake Livingston, which is about 45 miles south of Lufkin. Lake Livingston was partially funded by the City of Houston as a future water source. There are several more proposed reservoir around the Lufkin area. One such reservoir, Rockland Reservoir, has been proposed to be built on the Neches River about 20 miles to the south and east of Lufkin. This proposed reservoir would also be one of the largest in the state, and would destroy thousands of acres of forest land.⁷ The area around Lufkin is obviously rich in water resources. The future of areas with ample water supply should be one of prosperity in Texas, if the water resources are not transferred solely to larger metropolitan areas outside of East Texas.

When it comes to issues of water in Texas, many individuals point to the need for water conservation. Texans are accustomed to using water as if it were an unlimited resource. I have seen the large North Dallas suburban homes with their large landscaped yards. These large suburban homes require lots of water just to maintain vegetation planted in the yards. Instead of planting native plants which would require little or no irrigation, people invest in plants that require large volumes of water, and this is an opportunity of conservation that has been ignored by most homeowners and landscapers. Rita Beving, Conservation Co-Chair of the Dallas Group Sierra Club, expressed the following opinion. "The bottom line is we're wasting water, especially when you look at the data and you look at Beaumont and Houston, which is far more industrial than Dallas will ever be in the north corridor, and they're using less water than we are," she contended. "If the north Dallas area would use 20 to 22-percent less water, we would still be using more water than a lot of cities in all of Texas." According to the January 2001 Region C Water Plan developed for the Texas Water Development Board, the increased per capita water consumption has increased because the number of people per household have decreased while the development of large houses "with large lots, sprinkler systems, swimming pools, and other water-using amenities" have increased. In addition, the report says that many Region C communities are experiencing rapid commercial development.¹⁰ The Texas Water Development Board is planning for the future water needs of Texas, and they have conservation of water as a top priority in their planning. Water is a finite resource that requires careful and proactive management: the era of plentiful and inexpensive water is ending. Water conservation, sound management strategies, and adequate investment in a range of solutions are essential to meet the water demands of Texas' growing population, while protecting our natural resources. The following text outlines the Texas Water Development Board’s conservation programs. Based on current population projections, if a drought were to occur in 2050, almost half (43%) of the municipal demand would not be satisfied by current water sources. The 2002 State Water Plan is a long-term plan to meet state water demands even during drought conditions by demand reduction through conservation and reuse and by water supply acquisition. Since conventional fresh-water supplies in Texas are already 75-80% developed, water conservation is a very critical element to meeting the State's long-term water needs. Despite a projected 90% increase in population by 2050, municipal water demand is expected in increase only 67%. The Board's water conservation staff takes pride in providing services to help cities, utilities and districts establish effective water smart conservation programs. We loan out and provide training for leak detection, meter testing equipment, and assist with water audits. We provide water conservation brochures for free or minimal cost to utilities and government entities. Our staff also provides resources about rainwater harvesting, desalination, and various ways of recycling and reusing wastewater. Agriculture currently accounts for more than half of the state water demand. Working in conjunction with the NRCS, Soil and Water Conservation Board, and local water conservation districts, our staff assists farmers in maximizing irrigation efficiency. We assist by providing grants or loans to purchase new efficient irrigation equipment. We provide a spreadsheet for calculating irrigation system efficiency as well as give on-farm irrigation water use estimates by county or regional planning group. We also provide agricultural water conservation educational activities to agricultural trade shows and other events related to agriculture.⁷ Corpus Christi is one city looking for ways to conserve water. The following article was in the Corpus Christ Caller-Times, and outlined a few ways people can conserve water. With the new water restrictions coming into effect, it is important that home gardeners make the most of their watering. Landscape water conservation is a must in our area, and some simple practical steps will help you maximize your watering options.
One of the easiest ways to conserve water is to understand lawn watering and apply some simple tips for efficient irrigation. Efficient irrigation has several components.

Limiting the time of day for watering eliminates the wasting of water by watering at the wrong time. Mid-day watering wastes as much as 50 percent of the water through evaporation. Water in the early morning, prior to 10 a.m., when temperatures and winds are lowest. Early-morning watering also reduces water waste caused by high winds, which blow water spray onto sidewalks.¹²

Use large drops
Another simple step is to use sprinklers that produce large water droplets. These are heavier and make their way to the soil faster due to greater weight. Avoid fine mist sprinklers, since fine mists often evaporate before they hit the grass. The water that does make it to the turf is in small drops, and sits on the leaf surface instead of working its way to the soil and grass roots. If water remains on the grass-blade surface, it will evaporate, especially in hot, sunny and windy conditions.
Another tip is to avoid watering cement. Too often we adjust sprinklers to water to the edge of the sidewalk and even well beyond the grassy area. As a result, a lot of water winds up running down storm sewers and ditches. ¹²

Check sprinklers
If you are lucky enough to own an automatic sprinkler system, remember to check it regularly for missing or damaged heads. Geysers often appear at 6 a.m. without the homeowner's knowledge, due to broken sprinkler heads. Not only is a large amount of water put into one small area, but the pressure in the rest of the system is severely reduced and the rest of your lawn will also suffer from under-watering. Regular inspection also allows you to realign any mis-adjusted heads that are watering sidewalks instead of grass.¹²

Another suggestion is to incorporate organic mulches such as bark, grass clipping and compost into the landscape. They cool the soil, save water and reduce weeds if applied properly. Mulches should be at least 2 inches deep to provide significant water savings, and 3 or 4 inches deep to effectively reduce weed growth. Remember, weeds compete for water with your landscape plants, so minimizing weed populations with mulch leaves that much more water available.¹²

Use mulches
Organic mulches are better choices for water conservation than are inorganic forms such as gravel, because rocks and gravel reflect the heat of the sun and cause the microclimate temperatures around plants to rise. To cool themselves, plants will transpire, allowing water to evaporate from tiny pores in their leaves. As temperatures rise due to the reflected heat, the plant transpires more and has to take up more water to keep the cooling process going. This cancels out the water savings of rock mulches.
Finally, promote strong healthy turf growth through proper maintenance. Healthy grass is more water efficient. Fertilize grass throughout the spring, summer and early fall to promote deep, strong roots. Mow grass weekly during the summer and adjust the mowing height to a slightly higher level to allow for shading. Also, don't bag your lawn clippings, especially in the summer. The clippings will return nitrogen back to the soil, help mulch the soil surface and conserve water. Also look out for disease or insect damage and treat at the first signs.¹²

Stress conservation
Water conservation in the landscape must be a priority for homeowners if our most precious natural resource is to be available for future generations. In residential areas, up to 60 percent of the water used may be for landscapes and gardens during peak water-use seasons - mostly as a result of traditional, water-demanding landscapes and improper application. Widespread application of these lawn-watering tips could reduce landscape water use by half, even when water restrictions are not in place, and that's a saving from which we can all benefit.¹²

Aquifers can be found in 81 percent of the State of Texas. Because of such a large aquifer system, the state has relied heavily upon this as a source of water. San Antonio relies solely upon the Edwards Aquifer for its source of water. San Antonio is one of the largest cities in the world depending upon a sole ground water source to meet its water needs.⁷ In Texas, water law has been historically different for surface water and ground water. Surface water belongs to the state and, except for limited amounts of water for household and on-farm livestock use, requires permits for use. In general, ground water is considered the property of the surface landowner, by "right of capture, " meaning the landowner may pump as much water from beneath his land as he can for any beneficial use. This right may be limited only through the creation of ground-water conservation districts, which may make rules to protect and conserve ground-water supplies within their boundaries. Nearly 80 percent of ground water produced in 1997 was used for irrigating crops, especially in the Panhandle region. Ground water also supplies about 40 percent of the state’s municipal needs.⁷ Figure 5 shows the major aquifers in Texas.