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Texas lawmakers would probably need to review a reported plan for Houston to sell part of its water to arid regions of the state, according to the head of a conservation charity.
On Houston Matters on Friday, Bob Stokes, president of the Galveston Bay Foundation, added that it’s uncertain if the city could support such a contract.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Mayor John Whitmire and Texas Governor Greg Abbott are negotiating an agreement to sell some of the city’s water to the state, which might then be used in places like West Texas where water supplies are running low. Whitmire described the possible agreement as a win-win situation for all parties and told the Chronicle that funds from the contract might be utilized to upgrade the city’s infrastructure.
In the sense of flooding, we do have too much water. However, Stokes stated that it is quite difficult to capture that water. The construction of other reservoirs to catch that water is quite expensive and time-consuming. It is therefore necessary to consider the times when we experience drought rather than merely floods.
According to Stokes, long-term water planning has not yet begun, and any decision would probably need to pass the Texas Legislature.
Although the city may use the money to repair sewage systems and leaky pipes, it’s unclear what the sold water would be used for. According to Stokes, if the water supply is used for fracking or cooling massive computer servers, the proposal may lose support.
“The answer will undoubtedly be no,” Stokes stated. If those areas lack water and require it, should we still be constructing those things there? I’m going to take a chance and say that the majority of Houstonians would be against that.
This year, the Texas Legislature is expected to focus heavily on water-related concerns. Tuesday marks the beginning of the biennial legislative session.
