Judge decries farmers’ burden over drought

February 18, 2013, 10:00 pm by James Walker

Downstream rice farmers should not have to bear the brunt of hardship caused by a continuing historic drought that forecasters predict will stretch into this summer, Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald said in a recent letter to the Lower Colorado River Authority board of directors.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality last week approved LCRA’s request for emergency drought relief for the second year in a row, which means that without significant rainfall in the Highland Lakes watershed in the next two weeks most downstream rice farmers will go without water from the lakes for the second straight year.

"Why should we have to carry the entire burden of responding to the drought while others including the City of Austin and firm water customers have shown little interest in conservation?” McDonald wrote in a letter dated Feb. 6. "The result of total cutoff for the (rice farmers) and little or no conservation by others will result in an accumulation of stored water in the lakes.”

For the full story, see Tuesday's Highlander and Wednesday's Burnet Bulletin.

Reader Comments

"The result of total cutoff for the (rice farmers) and little or no conservation by others will result in an accumulation of stored water in the lakes.” So...?? That's a problem? Now let's talk about what percentage of that rice is sent to China. Hmmm?
February 19, 2013, 1:16pm by Alice

The reason the lakes are less than half full is BECAUSE the farmers were given more water than they needed and wasted it. Now is the time for the farmers to finally share in the consequences of the drought.
February 19, 2013, 7:19pm by Susan

Well Judge I hate to say this to ya but ya got it wrong. The FIRM water customers do show interest in conservation.. Austin folks are very conservative when it comes to water. The problem is that when they do conserve, it hurts the cities water sales and messes with their budget.They sale less water then have to raise their water rates to cover the losses. Oh and Judge.thats also part of why the Wheels of the bus go round and round.
February 19, 2013, 8:18pm by Roy