{"id":11315,"date":"2012-05-23T06:10:11","date_gmt":"2012-05-23T11:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=11315"},"modified":"2012-05-25T08:59:20","modified_gmt":"2012-05-25T13:59:20","slug":"with-a-letter-to-the-tceq-the-battle-for-the-colorado-river-water-is-rejoined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2012\/05\/23\/with-a-letter-to-the-tceq-the-battle-for-the-colorado-river-water-is-rejoined\/","title":{"rendered":"With a Letter to the TCEQ, the Battle for Colorado River Water is Rejoined"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Mose Buchele\/KUT News<\/p>

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is the state agency with final say in the new water management plan.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Colorado River provides water to cities, towns, industry and agriculture from West Texas to the Gulf Coast. After 18 months of often bitter disagreement<\/a>, representatives of those interests (referred to as stakeholders) reached a consensus last year<\/a> for how that water should be managed from the Highland Lakes on down.\u00a0After further tweaks, the Lower Colorado River Authority<\/a> (LCRA) approved that Water Management Plan early this year.<\/p>\n

Most stakeholders felt short-changed by the final Water Management Plan. But at the time of the LCRA<\/a>‘s vote, many seemed relieved, at least, that a plan was finally\u00a0complete.<\/p>\n

Then, late last month, a letter arrived at\u00a0the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality<\/a> (TCEQ) that could throw everything back into question. That letter includes greivences from downstream rice farmers <\/a>over how the plan was developed, and changes they would like to see.<\/p>\n

Opponents are calling it a “rice farmer manifesto,” but Ed McCarthy,\u00a0a lawyer representing Lower Colorado rice farmers<\/a>, describes it differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rice farmers […] have tried to highlight for TCEQ staff, where the problems are. Where the plan diverges from where there was consensus, identify the problem and identify a solution,” McCarthy told StateImpact Texas.<\/p>\n

McCarthy says rice farmers don\u2019t want the TCEQ, the state agency with final authority over the plan, to scrap the it\u00a0<\/span>completely. Instead they want the commission to change elements of the plan according to their suggestions.<\/p>\n

But there’s a sticking point. The rice farmers suggestions include revamping one of the single most contentious aspects of the water plan:\u00a0what lake levels would trigger water to be cut off to the rice farmers<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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