1. As we all know, water is a scarce resource in Texas, and such resources are decreasing every year, and the water should belong to all citizens who live here. But according to the Texas law, the landowners can draw as much water from their own land as they want, so I think the law should be improved. In my opinion, the law should provide a limit on the amount that the farmers are allowed to pump, if the aquifer is endangered under their farms. This is because first of all, I think the water in the underground belongs to all of us who live in Texas, and the water those landowners draw out, may come from somewhere else or just flow through. Secondly, overpumping the underground water may cause a dry-up situation,
and many areas where use of the water from underground will be influenced. Finally, not only in order to protect water resources in Texas,
but also for our children who have water to drink in the future, we should improve
the law, and this is just what I think. (QK)
2. Based on a report by the Lubbock Water Department, the city water currently comes from three sources, two groundwater well fields in Robert County and a well field in Bailey County. The third source is Lake Allen Henry. [1] As a matter of fact, in 2011, the third source was Lake Meredith, but in 2012 Lake Meredith dried and put the city on stage 2 restriction of usage limiting mainly lawn water and carwash. [2] The city, after completion of Lake Allen Henry project, went back to stage 1 restriction as of August 20th 2012. [1] (N.K.)
References:
Lubbock
water department, http://www.mylubbock.us/departmental-websites/departments/water-department/home
Abby Reed (2012), Lubbock water crisis, how did we get to here?, KCDB website, http://www.kcbd.com/story/16903788/lubbocks-water-crisis-how-did-we-get-here
3. I believe that water is one of the biggest problems facing society today, not only in Lubbock but in general, but focusing only in this region, we have two major industries mostly occupied in the water supply, which are the oil industry and agriculture. How does this affect us? It is simple; farmers take more water than they need, without any rules that limit, because in Texas you can take all the water you find in your land; on the other hand, we have the oil industry that generates millions of dollars and with that justifies the damage it generates to groundwater aquifers. So I think that you should implement some governing rules on water overuse, for example, using treated water, the same industry or farmers reusing their water. (JAPC)
4. The water crisis may have several
issues which need attention. The water crisis includes water shortage, water
pollution etc. When there is not enough drinking water, water crisis is felt.
Coping with water scarcity requires serious solutions.
I believe one of the most important factors leading to a water problem in West Texas is drought. I rest on the belief that at the beginning, we have to recognize
what the water problems are, and how we can prevent such problems. I think
first we should do some research regarding this issue, and then we should find
some ways to resolve the problems. I believe if the government increases the amount of funds regarding water problem research, it will help scientists to explore what the exact problem is, and help experts to bring up proper solutions about water problems. I think there are some methods we should do to prevent water crisis, such as ways to cope with drought and shortage crisis, identifying water resources available, public awareness and public participation in water planning and management, careful attention to the management of water, adjusting the water pressure in the distribution network, and controlling uses of high consumption. The other way is to make some policies to reduce water problems. For example, with population growth, natural resources of water are running out. Thus, sometimes due to water shortages, the governments could enact some rules to restrict the amount of water usage, so that it can adjust its consumption. According to Sauter and Hess the low rain fall engenders severe drought in west Texas in the United States, and if it continues west Texas cities face lots of problems such as crop losses, low reservoir levels, and water shortage emergencies. In this case, I think the government could provide some advertisement to inform people about the severity of the water problem and encourage them to reduce the amount of water which they use. Overall, I think the government and people both together can give hands to each other and try to find the way to solve the water problems.
(SH)
Reference:
Sauter, M.B.,and Hess,
A.E.M. (2013, August 1). Nine cities running out of Water. 24/7 Wall Street.
From http:/247wallst.com/Special-report/2013/08/01/nine-cities-running-out-of-water
5. It is Texas tradition (and law) that you can draw as much water from your own well as you want, even at the expense of the aquifer that everyone shares. I do not agree with this tradition totally, but I do partially. I feel farmers and landowners should be limited for some level and these levels should vary depending on the type of farming. Reasons for my statement can be organized as follows. For a strong society and for the balanced environment, both humans and animals must survive. Water and foods are the most essential things for animals to survive. In that case we need water not only for drinking and day to day life, but also for farming. This situation is true for Lubbock too. Therefore farmers should be able to use water as much as they want for farming. On the other hand, when we read several articles about water in Lubbock, such as Dillon (2013), Reed (2012), and Fleming (2012), we have to consider all actions that are necessary to save water. And ground water belongs to everybody, not only to the landowner where the well is located. On that point of view, farmers, such as cotton farmers, should be generous and they should limit their water usage to save water for the future. Concerning these facts, my idea is that there should be a reasonable limit per period for farmers for their water usage and these limits should be different depending on the type of farming. (CD)
Reference
Dillon, K. (2013, September, 1). The
Ogallala Aquifer, an important water resource, is in trouble. Retrieved on September, 5, 2013
from http://www.kansascity.com/2013/09/01/4452173/the-ogallala-aquifer-an-important.html
6. I believe that
government must control the water resource by its own. Water is like every kind
of resource. If we don’t protect it, it will lose it sooner than we imagine.
Taking petroleum for example, this is common knowledge that we are going to
run out of oil in the following decades or even sooner. Hence, water is in the
same condition. Nothing is infinite. Moreover, we have too much population
now, and the resources on earth are getting scarce. Therefore, we should prevent
the disaster earlier. Then, not only do we have to limit the usage, but also we
are supposed to use it in a sustainable way. To sum up, I disagree with the
policy in Texas. It is ridiculous because if people can use the water as much
as they want, no one will stop to think their behavior is proper or not. In my
opinion, those resources should be normed and be considered profoundly. (SYH)
7. According to Texas tradition and
law, Texas groundwater
is possessed
by landowners. Landowners have the right to pump water from their well. Moreover, all regulations for utilizing the groundwater are very beneficial to the landowner. Nowadays the aquifer has become dry in Texas. It is an issue that farmers and landowners should have limitations for using the groundwater. I also agree that some regulations need to be adjusted; however, in my opinion, if there are limitations to use water for cultivation, the amount of cultivation could be reduced and then farmers could be damaged for their income. In addition, there is already the regulation to prevent over using the groundwater. Instead of limitations, if changing the law or adjusting the rule, the aquifer in Texas could be conserved without any damage to farmers and landowners. (MK)
Reference
Ronald A. Kaiser (2005, July). Who
Owns the Water?. Texas Parks and Wildlife magazines. Retrived on Sep. 19, 2013
from http://texaswater.tamu.edu/water-law
8. Texas water can be divided into
groundwater and surface water (Kaiser). Texas surface water belongs to the
state of Texas. On the other hand, Texas groundwater belongs to the landowner;
the landowner can draw whatever water is available, regardless of the
consequences of pumping on neighboring wells (Texas water law). This law seems
not rational today especially when Texas is facing a water crisis. Fresh water
is limited sources of our planet and human beings share the water on earth. If
some people run out of their local water then they will have to go to some
other places for water; if there are too many people run out of their water
sources and go to other places for water, this will eventually lead to a war
fighting for water. Therefore, we have to use the water wisely before the water
crisis is still under control. Thus the Texas groundwater right is not
appropriate for wisely water using. It is not reasonable that the landowner can
draw as much water as they can under their ground. All of the ground water reservoirs are connected with each
other. If the landowner draws all of the water underneath the land, water from
neighboring lands, even from other states, will flow to the land and fill it.
Thus the landowner might technically steal ground water from other states,
which is against other states' laws. It would be more rational if there is a
limit for the landowners based on the sizes of their lands. In summary, water
source belongs to human beings and we should all share and use it wisely.
(C.L.)
Kaiser, R. A Primer on Texas Water Law, http://waterquality.okstate.edu/oldsite/events/waterforum/rkaiser1.pdf
[2] Texas water law, http://texaswater.tamu.edu/water-law
9. Clear water nowadays has been regarded as one of natural resources that could be depleted by human usage. Many organizations in the world call for a preservation of clear water resources for a sustainable world. According to Fleming (2012), a climate change and other different factors such as a cycle of hotter temperatures, more people, water-sapping cotton farming, and a devastating 2011 drought lead to a situation of scarce water. Therefore, although Texas tradition (and law) allows people to draw as much water from their own well as they want, it should have a policy on how much water business organizations use, especially farmers and landowners; or the government should impose a policy on farmers or landowners who benefit from using more water than other people. The reason for this idea is to protect a sustainable development in Texas where water is always a crucial issue for human life. In addition, the aquifer is not a finite water resource that can never be used up. In that sense, people should set up requirements for business usage and advise users to have an appropriate behavior to preserve clear water. (D.P.)
References
Fleming, P.
(2012). Portrait of a Drought: Finding Water Where It Ain’t. Climate Progress.
Retrieved from http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/10/19/1052091/portrait-of-a-drought-finding-water-where-it-aint/
10. Texas groundwater belongs to the landowner. Groundwater is governed by the rule of capture, which means landowners the right to capture unlimited amount of groundwater by tapping into the underlying aquifer beneath their property. On the
other hand, surface water belongs to the state of Texas. It can be used by a
landowner only with the state's permission. Because of this rule, farmers and
landowners use ground water until wells are drying out. This practice
appears to have been problems for neighboring landowners, when they are
withdrawing limited amounts of water or they cannot pump enough to significant
amount. (SG)
11.Long years of overuse followed by three years of drought has
depleted water sources in west Texas and left hundreds of communities
struggling with water crisis. Millions of people are living under some form of
water rationing across the south-west (Goldenberg,
2013). Three entities are responsible for the overuse of water sources:
ranchers, cotton farmers and fast growing cities (Fleming, 2012). I think there
should be water restriction for all of them. Cities have already been
experiencing various forms of restrictions. But Texas laws treat the ground
waters as the property of landowners. This prevents applying water restrictions
on farmers. However, the situation is so dire that a change in these laws seems
to be necessary. Now, water system has reached a point that no normal amount of
precipitation can recharge it (Goldenberg, 2013).
Draught and climate change has made the revival of the water system even more difficult.
If this situation continues, sooner or later, the water system will be past the
point of regeneration where no amount of precipitation can revive the system. To
prevent this real catastrophe all those who use water, including farmers,
should be subjected to restrictions.
(HS)
References
Fleming, P. (2012). Portrait of a Drought: Finding Water
Where It Ain’t. Climate Progress. Retrieved from
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/10/19/1052091/portrait-of-a-drought-finding-water-where-it-aint/
Goldenberg, S. (2013, Aug. 11). A Texan tragedy: ample oil,
no water. The Guardian. Retrieved on Aug. 28, 2013 from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/11/texas-tragedy-ample-oil-no-water
