Water, water, everywhere ..

[CleverNickname 1,315]

If this dude gets away with it, I'm damming up the creek on my place. Imma get mine.

[atomheartbevo 89,688]

2 minutes ago, CleverNickname said:

If this dude gets away with it, I'm damming up the creek on my place. Imma get mine.

We should have a little party on the part of the river that goes through that guy's place though, since we would be on a public waterway and he couldn't do shit about it.  If his illegal dam stops us from going down stream and we party right there, so be it.

[Captainant 27,680]

6 minutes ago, CleverNickname said:

If this dude gets away with it, I'm damming up the creek on my place. Imma get mine.

This mindset is how we destroy what's left of the social contract. Fuck that rich racist asshole for stealing water from the LCRA, and fuck our state for giving him cover. 

[atomheartbevo 89,688]

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/hays/study-shows-that-texas-has-nearly-3-times-more-dry-springs-than-50-years-ago/
 

Quote

 The number of dry springs in Texas has nearly tripled in the last 50 years, according to new research out of Texas State University.

Robert Mace, Ph.D., Meadows Center Executive Director, and Nohemi Galaviz, a research assistant, followed up on a 1975 report that assessed springs across the state. Using methods such as satellite imagery, historical maps and fieldwork, the researchers revealed that 30% of the springs examined in the 1975 report are now dry. 

Quote

“Quite a few more springs have gone dry since that initial study,” Mace told KXAN. “That corresponds almost almost exactly with the amount of groundwater that we’ve pumped out of states off rivers.”

Groundwater provides around 60% of Texas’ total water use, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office. Mace said if the state continues to rely so heavily on groundwater, more springs will dry up.  “At some point, we’ll run out of groundwater,” he said “When you see [springs] drying up, that’s an indication that [we are] probably pumping more than what’s coming back in.” 

 

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

I hope everyone is taking notes while watching Dune.

[atomheartbevo 89,688]

 

https://www.kxan.com/texas-water/illegal-dam-on-james-river-torn-down-while-another-dam-pops-up-in-mason-county/

Quote

— An illegal dam in the Texas Hill Country is being demolished following reports from KXAN. The dam, constructed along the James River in Mason County, was built in 2023.

Investigations from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) found the dam was constructed without permits.

Quote

Meanwhile, in western Mason County, a second dam has been located along Leon Creek. This dam was also built without permits, according to TPWD.

Quote

While water now flows on the James River, ten miles away at Leon Creek in Mason County, another illegal dam built in a remote area is restricting access to water. Photos taken last fall. provided to KXAN by landowners in Mason County, show a dam built along Leon Creek. 

Quote

In September, my husband went to check the cattle and went down to where the creek goes into the Llano river. And the creek was only a trickle,” said Kerry Hormann, a landowner in Mason County. 

Hofmann’s family has owned land along Leon Creek for more than a century. She said this is the first time it has stopped flowing. Neighbors living further upstream told Hofmann they had discovered a dam had appeared along the creek

[Schulz2.0 28,959]

11 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

 

https://www.kxan.com/texas-water/illegal-dam-on-james-river-torn-down-while-another-dam-pops-up-in-mason-county/

[Captainant 27,680]

11 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

 

https://www.kxan.com/texas-water/illegal-dam-on-james-river-torn-down-while-another-dam-pops-up-in-mason-county/

Finally, a good use for all that tannerite that academy keeps stocking. 

But on a serious note, this is only gonna get worse as water becomes more scarce and temperatures get hotter. 

[RPM 26,322]

Looks like it's small outlaw sand and gravel companies doing this shit. 

[swraith 347]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

 

https://www.kxan.com/texas-water/illegal-dam-on-james-river-torn-down-while-another-dam-pops-up-in-mason-county/

I'm pleasantly surprised and pleased to see first illegal dam being dismantled.  Landowners are going to have to raise their level of vigilance on these kinds of illegal acts going forward.

[Steel Shank 9,426]

TPWD and TCEQ need to look into drones or planes to check the water ways then fine the shit out of the offenders. Especially repeat offenders.

[Captainant 27,680]

6 minutes ago, Steel Shank said:

TPWD and TCEQ need to look into drones or planes to check the water ways then fine the shit out of the offenders. Especially repeat offenders.

IMO they'd be better served contracting an orbital imaging firm to get regular site pictures for the rivers. Once they've got that image data it's pretty easy to throw a computer vision model at em to identify active building sites

[Steel Shank 9,426]

7 minutes ago, Captainant said:

IMO they'd be better served contracting an orbital imaging firm to get regular site pictures for the rivers. Once they've got that image data it's pretty easy to throw a computer vision model at em to identify active building sites

That'll work, too. They should also let the ranchers visit with the offenders so they can express their displeasure.

Edited April 30 by Steel Shank

[atomheartbevo 89,688]

3 hours ago, swraith said:

I'm pleasantly surprised and pleased to see first illegal dam being dismantled.  Landowners are going to have to raise their level of vigilance on these kinds of illegal acts going forward.

It seems like they are getting reported to the local authorities, but it takes the news media putting their shit on blast and talking to TPWD, TCEQ, etc. to get things done.

1 hour ago, Steel Shank said:

TPWD and TCEQ need to look into drones or planes to check the water ways then fine the shit out of the offenders. Especially repeat offenders.

Mere fines won’t work - these rich fuckers would happily pay the fines if they got to keep the water from going downstream. They are putting in some heavy duty infrastructure - that’s not Joe Bob Smith filling up his pickup to make a small dam or divert some water for his cattle. I’d even argue that based on how expensive it was to put in these dams, they were counting on only getting fined. Wouldn’t surprise me if they had an arrangement with local officials,

As it is, with the first dam, they get to keep 90 feet of the 400 foot dam as “access ramps”.

And a 400 foot dam is fucking huge

[Biff Tannen 45,691]

8 hours ago, Captainant said:

IMO they'd be better served contracting an orbital imaging firm to get regular site pictures for the rivers. Once they've got that image data it's pretty easy to throw a computer vision model at em to identify active building sites

Yep. They’re gonna get Monkey Wrench Gang’d at some point if they keep fucking around. 
 

and I’m almost outta beer. 

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13,585]

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/aqua-texas-complaint-illegal-groundwater-supply-wimberley/269-febaf88a-39da-4f25-8ed5-4a91de6d65ea

Quote

Aqua Texas violating its authorized groundwater production limits by 90 million gallons in 2022

Aqua Texas exceeded its production limits by an additional 70 million gallons in 2023

Aqua Texas lost 55 million gallons of water due to leaks in its infrastructure and a lack of maintenance – a direct violation of the PUC’s requirements to maintain infrastructure and State and District prohibitions on wasting groundwater

Aqua Texas' actions caused Jacob’s Well to stop flowing on multiple days when it otherwise would have been flowing 

Aqua Texas allegedly misrepresented the number of connections within its service areas when it requested authority from the PUC to sell water in those areas, claiming a smaller number than actually existed. Since that time, the number of connections the company represented to the PUC has grown by 65% - without the company ever demonstrating to the PUC it has an adequate water supply

Aqua Texas' continual adding of customers in Hays County communities despite not having a legal water supply

 

[atomheartbevo 89,688]

9 hours ago, Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand said:

Aqua Texas' actions caused Jacob’s Well to stop flowing on multiple days when it otherwise would have been flowing 

Aqua Texas allegedly misrepresented the number of connections within its service areas when it requested authority from the PUC to sell water in those areas, claiming a smaller number than actually existed. Since that time, the number of connections the company represented to the PUC has grown by 65% - without the company ever demonstrating to the PUC it has an adequate water supply

Aqua Texas' continual adding of customers in Hays County communities despite not having a legal water supply

Aqua Texas don't give a fuck because they'll happily pay the fines and keep doing what they are doing.  Only way things would change is if somebody threatened to put an end to their business and that won't happen.  Jacob's Well this year, strict water rationing for non-Aqua Texas customers, etc.

Because:

Quote

The KVUE Defenders previously looked into the issues between the two after the utility over-pumped its water allotment in 2022, resulting in nearly half a million dollars worth of fines.

 Half-a-million in fines and they kept on doing it.

[Larry T. Spider 1,746]

It was announced today that Jacob’s Well is closed for swimming this summer due to low flow. They will check monthly but it doesn’t look great. Thanks Aqua Texas.

[Captainant 27,680]

8 hours ago, Larry T. Spider said:

It was announced today that Jacob’s Well is closed for swimming this summer due to low flow. They will check monthly but it doesn’t look great. Thanks Aqua Texas.

Hey, at least they were able to deliver some sweet sweet profitability to their shareholders at the mere cost of destroying a public natural resource

[Post Oak 20,238]

These people need to be arrested. 

[atomheartbevo 89,688]

10 hours ago, Larry T. Spider said:

It was announced today that Jacob’s Well is closed for swimming this summer due to low flow. They will check monthly but it doesn’t look great. Thanks Aqua Texas.

1 hour ago, Captainant said:

Hey, at least they were able to deliver some sweet sweet profitability to their shareholders at the mere cost of destroying a public natural resource

33 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

These people need to be arrested. 

The parent company of Aqua Texas is headquartered in Pennsylvania so nothing will change other than they’ll pay the fines and keep in pumping.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_Utilities

Edited May 3 by atomheartbevo

[Captainant 27,680]

8 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

The parent company of Aqua Texas is headquartered in Pennsylvania so nothing will change other than they’ll pay the fines and keep in pumping.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_Utilities

Fines just mean it's illegal for poor people to do it

[Pescado_Rojo 19,419]

On 4/30/2024 at 2:49 PM, Steel Shank said:

TPWD and TCEQ need to look into drones or planes to check the water ways then fine the shit out of the offenders. Especially repeat offenders.

Buy a few drones from Ukraine and solve the problem as soon as they find it. 

[Beau Vine 54,246]

23 hours ago, Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand said:

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/aqua-texas-complaint-illegal-groundwater-supply-wimberley/269-febaf88a-39da-4f25-8ed5-4a91de6d65ea

 

Aqua Texas is the worst fucking company I've ever dealt with.  Far worse than AT&T/Directv...

Those fuckers didn't even have a backup generator for the water system in Wimberley, so that one time when the power went out, everyone had no water for 2 days and had to boil water for two weeks.

Edited May 3 by Beau Vine

[Beau Vine 54,246]

 

[Biff Tannen 45,691]

10 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Aqua Texas is the worst fucking company I've ever dealt with.  Far worse than AT&T/Directv...

Those fuckers didn't even have a backup generator for the water system in Wimberley, so that one time when the power went out, everyone had no water for 2 days and had to boil water for two weeks.

If we had non-corrupt state officials, this company would be shut down and the owners arrested for presenting a public health hazard.  Or something.  What world is this we have created where they can get away with this?

[Captainant 27,680]

3 hours ago, Post Oak said:

These people need to be arrested. 

[Laughs in regulatory capture]

[Beau Vine 54,246]

48 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

If we had non-corrupt state officials, this company would be shut down and the owners arrested for presenting a public health hazard.  Or something.  What world is this we have created where they can get away with this?

But that wouldn't be "business-friendly."  Did you know that Texas is business-friendly?  What kind of librul commie wants Texas to not be business-friendly?

[Sawbonz 27,566]

2 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

Aqua Texas is the worst fucking company I've ever dealt with.  Far worse than AT&T/Directv...

Those fuckers didn't even have a backup generator for the water system in Wimberley, so that one time when the power went out, everyone had no water for 2 days and had to boil water for two weeks.

They also lose a tremendous amount of water due to not maintaining pipes. Their board should all be in jail

[Mighty fine 169]

It will be interesting to see what the state does here re: Aqua. There are two (at least) regulatory issues here. The first is with regards to the groundwater district being able to recover damages for the overpumping by Aqua, which will end up in court. The second is with regards to Aquas inability to maintain minium regulatory capacity in its public water supply system in violation of state law. I could see they're CCN being revoked, though doubt any entity will be willing to take it over.

[crash_davis 23,113]

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller sounding the alarm.

You mean it's getting hotter and we're running out of water. Great, just great.

Problem is, this is not a Texas problem. This is a national problem.

 

https://www.khou.com/article/news/politics/inside-politics/texas-politics/texas-agriculture-commissioner-sound-alarm-says-texas-is-running-out-of-water/287-f9fea38a-9a77-4f85-b495-72dd9e6dba7e?trk=public_post_comment-text

Miller, and at least two other state lawmakers who’ve appeared on Inside Texas Politics recently, tell us the water shortage issue is about to take center stage in Texas.

Miller recently wrote an op-ed describing the problem and offering possible solutions for what he calls “self-reliance.”

“Our tomato production in the Valley is just about gone. They usually grow five crops of vegetables in that Winter Garden area. They have enough water to grow one. So, our production’s down 80%. And it’s all about water,” Miller said as an example.

Miller thinks the state should prioritize capturing stormwater and reusing treated water.

Other options he includes to maximize our water resources involve improving the efficiency of irrigation and other delivery systems, increasing storage capacity and adding new reservoirs.

“We gotta recycle our water,” the commissioner said. “Our water treatment water goes into the creek, right out in the Gulf. We need to capture that and let my farmers irrigate with it.”

To “maximize every drop,” Miller says part of that would include off-channel storage, so nothing goes to waste.

And this does include using brackish water, which is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as seawater.

Miller says a new brackish water treatment plant will open in Alice, Texas later this year, which will provide 2.7 million gallons of fresh drinking water daily.

Even the oil and gas industry has a role to play, according to Miller. The Agriculture Commissioner thinks the state should consider using brackish water for fracking instead of fresh water.

But, as expected, solving the problem will be expensive.

Miller says we can pay for it through federal grants that already exist, tapping into funds from the Texas Water Development Board that taxpayers have already paid into, and grants by the Texas Department of Agriculture.

As an example, Miller tells us the Department gave out 90 grants to small communities across Texas, $500,000 each, to replace antiquated water lines.

The bottom line, Miller says, is Texans need to be talking about this problem more and it’s time for lawmakers and other leaders to act.

“You can’t get a Pecos cantaloupe anymore," Miller said. "The wells are dry out there. They don’t grow cantaloupes in Pecos anymore. Everybody used to love to eat Pecos cantaloupes. You can’t find one anymore because the farmers are gone. There’s no water. They had to leave.”

[InkaUtexas 25,953]

No shit..... Even the Brits have noticed. But its cool, City Manager of Kyle says by 2027 by pumping more we can keep developing developments and bring in water hungry infrastructure. I think Central Texas should live in Stage 2. That should be our norm. And yeah, it is a bit whiney, but it is the Daily Mail (Tabloid) and English, so what do you expect.

A Texas city is America's second-fastest growing urban area - despite being too hot to go outside during summer and facing water shortages.  

During the pandemic, homebuyers flocked to Kyle, Texas where an aquifer, an underground water source, is currently shrinking, leaving more than 67,000 residents struggling for water. 

Before summer even began, temperatures reached almost 100 degrees in the city - which sits 20 minutes outside of Austin - as nearby creeks and watering holes have dried up due to the city's extensive drought.  

Hays County, where the popular city is located, will most likely experience extreme droughts at least one-quarter every year by 2040, according to ICE Sustainable Finance. 

The situation has become so dire, that last summer residents were banned from washing their cars at home and using local water for construction projects, while municipalities had to limit sprinkler and hose usage. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13777989/texas-growing-city-hot-water-shortages.html

[atomheartbevo 89,688]

At least T. Boone Pickens isn't around buying up land to try and sell our water off to other states.

[InkaUtexas 25,953]

10 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

At least T. Boone Pickens isn't around buying up land to try and sell our water off to other states.

I am sure someone will come along or already has. Kyle, in Stage 2, is buying water (not a huge amount) from San Marcos who is in Stage 2.

Yeah, that seems sustainable.

[Sawbonz 27,566]

2 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller sounding the alarm.

You mean it's getting hotter and we're running out of water. Great, just great.

Problem is, this is not a Texas problem. This is a national problem.

 

https://www.khou.com/article/news/politics/inside-politics/texas-politics/texas-agriculture-commissioner-sound-alarm-says-texas-is-running-out-of-water/287-f9fea38a-9a77-4f85-b495-72dd9e6dba7e?trk=public_post_comment-text

Miller, and at least two other state lawmakers who’ve appeared on Inside Texas Politics recently, tell us the water shortage issue is about to take center stage in Texas.

Miller recently wrote an op-ed describing the problem and offering possible solutions for what he calls “self-reliance.”

“Our tomato production in the Valley is just about gone. They usually grow five crops of vegetables in that Winter Garden area. They have enough water to grow one. So, our production’s down 80%. And it’s all about water,” Miller said as an example.

Miller thinks the state should prioritize capturing stormwater and reusing treated water.

Other options he includes to maximize our water resources involve improving the efficiency of irrigation and other delivery systems, increasing storage capacity and adding new reservoirs.

“We gotta recycle our water,” the commissioner said. “Our water treatment water goes into the creek, right out in the Gulf. We need to capture that and let my farmers irrigate with it.”

To “maximize every drop,” Miller says part of that would include off-channel storage, so nothing goes to waste.

And this does include using brackish water, which is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as seawater.

Miller says a new brackish water treatment plant will open in Alice, Texas later this year, which will provide 2.7 million gallons of fresh drinking water daily.

Even the oil and gas industry has a role to play, according to Miller. The Agriculture Commissioner thinks the state should consider using brackish water for fracking instead of fresh water.

But, as expected, solving the problem will be expensive.

Miller says we can pay for it through federal grants that already exist, tapping into funds from the Texas Water Development Board that taxpayers have already paid into, and grants by the Texas Department of Agriculture.

As an example, Miller tells us the Department gave out 90 grants to small communities across Texas, $500,000 each, to replace antiquated water lines.

The bottom line, Miller says, is Texans need to be talking about this problem more and it’s time for lawmakers and other leaders to act.

“You can’t get a Pecos cantaloupe anymore," Miller said. "The wells are dry out there. They don’t grow cantaloupes in Pecos anymore. Everybody used to love to eat Pecos cantaloupes. You can’t find one anymore because the farmers are gone. There’s no water. They had to leave.”

Stupid lib

[gofuckyourself 8,333]

Did ol' Sid mention the cryptocurrency "businesses" using 1.5 million gallons of water per day?

No?

Shocking.

[crash_davis 23,113]

Rice farmers are feeling the pain. Unpopular opinion but it's time. For the last 20 years, Texas has fluctuated between moderate to severe drought. As temps continue to rise, we probably won't see that changing other than for the worse. Rice is the wrong crop to be farming in a drought, but I guess any crop is the wrong crop to be farming in a drought.

Long article, well worth the read. I included some snippets below.

 

https://www.texasobserver.org/rice-farmers-on-the-brink/

Rice farming in Texas dates back more than a century, and state water policies have always been an issue. In 1915, a group of rice farmers made what was then a two-day trip from the rice farming counties of the Lower Colorado River Basin to Austin to join forces with the city’s Chamber of Commerce to convince federal officials to build dams on the Colorado River to control floods and ensure a steady water supply. By the end of their meetup, the four dozen attendees had formed the Colorado River Improvement Association, the predecessor of the LCRA.

Buchanan Dam, which created Lake Buchanan, was completed in 1938, and Mansfield Dam, which made Lake Travis, was completed in 1942. These two reservoirs provide water to people in the Austin region, along with rice farmers and industrial users, while contributing environmental flows to maintain the health of Matagorda Bay downstream.

But in contrast to the unity farmers and businessmen originally enjoyed, exploding population growth in the modern era has increasingly pitted rice farmers against city dwellers in the fight over water rights.

The LCRA splits its buyers into two categories: those whose water supply is “firm” and those whose is “interruptible.” In exchange for cheaper rates, interruptible water can be shut off if reservoir water levels decline below certain levels, which are updated every five years. Rice farmers’ water is interruptible; water sold to city dwellers and industrial users like power plants is firm. Only after firm water users’ allocations are fulfilled may rice farmers buy water.

With more users, less water is available for rice farmers. The population of the Austin area nearly doubled from 1.2 million in 2000 to 2.3 million in 2020 and has been projected to reach 4.5 million by 2050.

 

Nationwide, drought has become the number-one reason for crop insurance payouts for farmers unable to plant. According to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, those payments shot up from about $1 billion in 2001 to $7.6 billion in 2021. How long payouts can continue remains to be seen.

Climate change has piled on other risks besides drought for rice farmers. Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane ever reported, made landfall on July 8 in Matagorda County as a Category 1. “[It] damaged the crop, and the wet conditions have made harvest difficult,” said Lowell “LG” Raun, a third-generation rice farmer who cultivates about 1,000 acres in Wharton County. “In my 50 years of farming, I have never had a hurricane make landfall nearby prior to harvest.”

 

For some Texas farmers, converting thirsty rice fields to solar or wind farms—which also help combat the climate crisis—makes too much sense to resist. Increasingly, solar-related income is more reliable than crop sales. Solar leases can last decades and provide landowners $1,000 an acre annually.

The historic 32,000-acre Pierce Ranch in Wharton County leased 2,800 acres to AP Solar for its Red-Tailed Hawk Solar Project, said Laurance Armour, a fifth-generation rice farmer and the ranch’s general manager. When the project came online in May, a 25-turbine wind farm was already operating on the ranch. Armour may soon add battery storage and carbon sequestration to the mix. “It’s much more lucrative to be doing renewable energy these days than farming, frankly,” Armour said. “And so that’s why we’ve chosen to do what we did.”

[Captainant 27,680]

20 hours ago, gofuckyourself said:

Did ol' Sid mention the cryptocurrency "businesses" using 1.5 million gallons of water per day?

No?

Shocking.

That's only when we're not giving them tens of millions of dollars to come strain our grid and keep spot prices high

[crash_davis 23,113]

2 minutes ago, Captainant said:

That's only when we're not giving them tens of millions of dollars to come strain our grid and keep spot prices high

Can't get those nice "campaign contributions" if you're not giving piece of shit companies sweet heart deals.

Edited September 10 by crash_davis

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

Fuck the rice farmers.  They and the bitcoin miners should both GTFO of Texas altogether.

[swraith 347]

6 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Rice farmers are feeling the pain. Unpopular opinion but it's time. For the last 20 years, Texas has fluctuated between moderate to severe drought. As temps continue to rise, we probably won't see that changing other than for the worse. Rice is the wrong crop to be farming in a drought, but I guess any crop is the wrong crop to be farming in a drought.

Long article, well worth the read. I included some snippets below.

 

https://www.texasobserver.org/rice-farmers-on-the-brink/

Rice farming in Texas dates back more than a century, and state water policies have always been an issue. In 1915, a group of rice farmers made what was then a two-day trip from the rice farming counties of the Lower Colorado River Basin to Austin to join forces with the city’s Chamber of Commerce to convince federal officials to build dams on the Colorado River to control floods and ensure a steady water supply. By the end of their meetup, the four dozen attendees had formed the Colorado River Improvement Association, the predecessor of the LCRA.

Buchanan Dam, which created Lake Buchanan, was completed in 1938, and Mansfield Dam, which made Lake Travis, was completed in 1942. These two reservoirs provide water to people in the Austin region, along with rice farmers and industrial users, while contributing environmental flows to maintain the health of Matagorda Bay downstream.

But in contrast to the unity farmers and businessmen originally enjoyed, exploding population growth in the modern era has increasingly pitted rice farmers against city dwellers in the fight over water rights.

The LCRA splits its buyers into two categories: those whose water supply is “firm” and those whose is “interruptible.” In exchange for cheaper rates, interruptible water can be shut off if reservoir water levels decline below certain levels, which are updated every five years. Rice farmers’ water is interruptible; water sold to city dwellers and industrial users like power plants is firm. Only after firm water users’ allocations are fulfilled may rice farmers buy water.

With more users, less water is available for rice farmers. The population of the Austin area nearly doubled from 1.2 million in 2000 to 2.3 million in 2020 and has been projected to reach 4.5 million by 2050.

 

Nationwide, drought has become the number-one reason for crop insurance payouts for farmers unable to plant. According to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, those payments shot up from about $1 billion in 2001 to $7.6 billion in 2021. How long payouts can continue remains to be seen.

Climate change has piled on other risks besides drought for rice farmers. Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane ever reported, made landfall on July 8 in Matagorda County as a Category 1. “[It] damaged the crop, and the wet conditions have made harvest difficult,” said Lowell “LG” Raun, a third-generation rice farmer who cultivates about 1,000 acres in Wharton County. “In my 50 years of farming, I have never had a hurricane make landfall nearby prior to harvest.”

 

For some Texas farmers, converting thirsty rice fields to solar or wind farms—which also help combat the climate crisis—makes too much sense to resist. Increasingly, solar-related income is more reliable than crop sales. Solar leases can last decades and provide landowners $1,000 an acre annually.

The historic 32,000-acre Pierce Ranch in Wharton County leased 2,800 acres to AP Solar for its Red-Tailed Hawk Solar Project, said Laurance Armour, a fifth-generation rice farmer and the ranch’s general manager. When the project came online in May, a 25-turbine wind farm was already operating on the ranch. Armour may soon add battery storage and carbon sequestration to the mix. “It’s much more lucrative to be doing renewable energy these days than farming, frankly,” Armour said. “And so that’s why we’ve chosen to do what we did.”

 

if Texas farmers want to shift to energy leases, sounds great. If they want to keep rice farming, they should check out the research being done in Arkansas

 

https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2024/07/17/ar-rice-growers-turn-to-zero-grade-farming-to-save-water

[Samson's Wig 3,192]

Why would they do any of that when they have LCRA in their back pocket?  May as well drain all the current resources and then look for alternatives.

[crash_davis 23,113]

This is going to be great for the tubing business in New Braunfels.

TLDR: Permit is nearing approval, no definite plans, yet, to build the plant. 

 

https://www.expressnews.com/hill-country/article/wastewater-plant-comal-river-new-braunfels-19760675.php

Plant that would put treated sewage into Comal River moves closer to approval

The proposed facility would release up to 600,000 gallons of treated sewage per day into a creek that feeds the Comal River. 

State regulators have moved a step closer to approving a wastewater treatment plant that could eventually release up to 600,000 gallons of treated sewage per day into a creek that feeds the Comal River. 

The plant intends to serve a potential 1,400-home subdivision between Bulverde and New Braunfels in Comal County. 

In a letter last week, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told Comal County landowner Douglas Harrison that the agency’s executive director determined the application met the state's legal requirements. That clears the way for the decision to be considered by TCEQ commissioners and gives opponents until Oct. 7 to request a contested case hearing or ask for reconsideration of the decision.

Harrison applied for the permit in September 2022, seeking permission for a plant that would eventually discharge a daily average of up to 600,000 gallons of treated wastewater per day into the West Fork Dry Comal Creek. According to the application, the effluent would then travel through the Dry Comal Creek, then into the Comal River, the popular tubing destination that flows through downtown New Braunfels.

The creek flows into the Comal River near Landa Street and the Wurstfest grounds. The Comal River’s current uses are primary contact recreation, public water supply, aquifer protection and high aquatic life use, according to the TCEQ. The state agency has determined those uses “will not be impaired” by the new wastewater plant. 

Harrison previously told the Express-News he had no immediate plans to develop the property and was preparing for different potential uses of the land.

“We’re just getting everything in order and trying to get everything lined up here for what our options are,” he said in 2022. “Just in case we decide to sell someday down the road.”

However, the treatment plant application said the facility “will serve the Harrison Tract subdivision, a new 1,403 lot subdivision,” and is intended to also serve other “future regional developments.”  

 

[Parliament 14,260]

How well treated is this sewage?  Like is it clear water coming out or what?

[dipshits.r.us 2]

I attended the initial TCEQ meeting on the Harrison permit and submitted my objections.  The lawyers for the Harrisons stated that the treated water would be recycled in the housing development when there were multiple objections to dumping the water in the Dry Comal creek.  With the approval of the wastewater permit, that plan looks to be off the table.  They also emphasized the flow would be 1 cfs and said it wouldn't affect the Comal - bullshit.

Blanco river has had treated sewage water. Wastewater Woes - The Watershed Association

"Streams receiving wastewater effluent had relatively high nutrient concentrations and were classified as eutrophic, having very little oxygen, resulting in the loss of fish populations and an increase in algal blooms."

Study of two locations on the Blanco with data and stark contrast in photos. 

Nutrient and biological assessment of the Blanco River, 2019 (watershedassociation.org)

Very interested in asking for a contested hearing.  

[crash_davis 23,113]

5 minutes ago, dipshits.r.us said:

I attended the initial TCEQ meeting on the Harrison permit and submitted my objections.  The lawyers for the Harrisons stated that the treated water would be recycled in the housing development when there were multiple objections to dumping the water in the Dry Comal creek.  With the approval of the wastewater permit, that plan looks to be off the table.  They also emphasized the flow would be 1 cfs and said it wouldn't affect the Comal - bullshit.

Blanco river has had treated sewage water. Wastewater Woes - The Watershed Association

"Streams receiving wastewater effluent had relatively high nutrient concentrations and were classified as eutrophic, having very little oxygen, resulting in the loss of fish populations and an increase in algal blooms."

Study of two locations on the Blanco with data and stark contrast in photos. 

Nutrient and biological assessment of the Blanco River, 2019 (watershedassociation.org)

Very interested in asking for a contested hearing.  

This is how you first post.