{"id":6333,"date":"2012-02-22T10:14:59","date_gmt":"2012-02-22T16:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=6333"},"modified":"2012-02-22T11:47:52","modified_gmt":"2012-02-22T17:47:52","slug":"few-satisfied-with-new-lcra-water-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2012\/02\/22\/few-satisfied-with-new-lcra-water-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Few Satisfied With New LCRA Water Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by LCRA<\/p>

The extreme drought has lowered levels in Lake Travis to the point where rice farmers downstream may soon be cut off.<\/p><\/div>\n

Who deserves water more? The first one in line, or the one who stands to lose the most financially if it’s taken away? That’s one way of looking at the ongoing “water war” on the Lower Colorado River between rice farmers in Southeast Texas and residents and businesses along the Highland Lakes upstream from them. Caught in the middle? The Lower Colorado River Authority <\/a>(LCRA), which manages the water in the lakes. Today they are voting on a water plan that would change how water is managed on the river.<\/a><\/p>\n

The plan would add a second cutoff date to determine whether there’s enough water for rice farmers downstream, which would likely mean more years without water from the lakes for the farmers. The farmers will likely not get water this spring because of low lake levels.\u00a0\u201cIn the future, farmers will have to grow more pounds per acre on more marginal land, it looks like with less water,” longtime rice farmer Billy Mann testified during public comment on the plan Tuesday. “Can we do it? We\u2019re going to have to, but hopefully we will have the water there for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents and businesses on the Highland Lakes have been pushing for changing how water is used and paid for on the Lower Colorado. \u201cI got to tell you, it\u2019s really hard for me to be speaking here today, because we are staring down the devastation of the drought of 2011,” Janet Caylor of the\u00a0Central Texas Water Coalition<\/a>\u00a0said. “And as y\u2019all are aware, there have already been multiple bankruptcies, loss of jobs; many are struggling to stay in business.\u201d<\/p>\n

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