Court sides with Oklahoma

> Oklahoma and Texas have been feuding over everything over the years. From boundaries to the riparian accretions in the Red River. This water-rights issue is just another example of why Oklahomans and Texans don't play well with each other.

Actually, I think the underlying issue really is that there are a whole bunch of folks in Texas who think that they need to waste water on such quixotic things as irrigating yards of turf grass. Simply adjusting landscape planting to materials appropriate for our semi-arid climate would free up all sorts of demand. It's an entirely different aesthetic than the English lawn, but this is Texas, not the British Isles.

Kent, you are right on. I have seen this stuff for years. "We are going to run out of water. We need to look for more places to impound water they say."

We need to ban lawn sprinklers and all that foolishness about wasting water.

John Harmon

I think this is all of Andy Nold's fault. He started all of this trouble. He is some kind of water activist/organizer slash politico in the Fort worth area.
Needs water to wash street cars or something ..

Go Andy.. some of us here have your back

😀

Simply adjusting landscape planting to materials appropriate for our semi-arid climate would free up all sorts of demand. It's an entirely different aesthetic than the English lawn, but this is Texas, not the British Isles.

yea... putting a few cows in the front yard to graze would be very Texan also.
also save on fertilizer cost.

We don't run into watering issues too often here in SW Idaho, but occasionally, the irrigation districts cut back the water supply. This is one of those years. Many of the districts around us are cutting as much as 35% to every water share. Our area is arid as well and our irrigation water comes from reservoirs and canals.

IMO, residential yards should get a higher restriction and favor toward the farmers, but there have been no complaints between farmers and home owners that I've ever been aware of.

We've started eliminating our grass in favor of landscaping, but the last few years we have incorporated (actually switched over from "pretty" plants) a working garden amongst our roses and laurels....My intent is to keep expanding the "edibles"

I found that I use less water for my veggies and fruit than for my grass. That and at least I get to feel good about producing something of my own.

> yea... putting a few cows in the front yard to graze would be very Texan also.
> also save on fertilizer cost.

It's simpler than that. You plant shrubs and other plants that don't need vast amounts of irrigation water instead of trying to maintain that green carpet of turf grass. There's a large variety of plant materials to choose from that are hardy and drought-tolerant.

Another way to save water that I frequently take advantage of is to pee in the yard. All those flushes add up.

I could see why the Okies would be upset. Besides the water, they have nothing else of value. 😀

:good:

Yes, I did run for the board of directors of the Tarrant Regional Water District on a slate with John Basham and Mary Kelleher. John lost by 90 votes, I lost by more and Mary actually won. The TRWD was the entity suing the state of Oklahoma. My election would have had zero effect on the outcome of the court case but I can only wonder how much money we wasted fighting for such a slim chance (imho). The election got surprisingly rough and I am glad it is over. It took my attention away from starting a new survey department at my present employer and I am busting hump trying to make up for lost time. Hopefully a little better name recognition and new contacts make the effort worthwhile. Mary, on the other hand, has the opportunity to do great things and I hope to attend her installment on the board next Tuesday.

Landscaping is by far the largest use of water in this area and if we could reduce that, we would have plenty of water for years to come. I also pee outside as often as possible. I have stopped taking the weekly bath and opt for monthly. I am going to recommend to the board that we just extend a pipeline underneath Oklahoma and tap into Kansas. Hopefully we will finish the line before they pass any laws to restrict out of state water sales . 😉

> I could see why the Okies would be upset. Besides the water, they have nothing else of value.
And precious little water. Oklahoma has been under drought conditions.

:good:

Sue first, beg for water later?

Confession here..

I've been peeing in Tommy's front yard also, for the last three or four years. :-X

The DFW metroplex is still pushing to get the Marvin Nichols Lake built in a major watershed that provides water to the lakes in my area for their use.

To do so will take in over 80 thousand acres of prime timberland that will cause another over 80 thousand acres to be claimed by the government along the same waterway area for habitat reclamation (type II hunting area that is practically closed to the general public). That is over 200 thousand acres taken out of private production that cost many their livelyhoods

The amount of water being diverted to them already is causing towns in this area to have to boil water at times because of low freshwater in discharge areas.

A local water distributor is on the attack in the other direction and rather demanding that everyone close their wells and be forced to use their stored water at an exorbitant rate.

I Don't See A Real Problem, Dam The Red River West Of OK

Take the Texas share per the agreement out of the Red River before it even gets to Oklahoma.

Then also dam up the Canadian River and build that Canadian to Texas pipeline through Texas and across the Red River. Water will soon be more valuable than oil.

Paul in PA

Conservation is only kicking the can down the road. What in reality that needs to be cut is people. Less people conserves everything, water, food, energy and CO2. Get the population down to say 2 billion and there be be plenty.

Actually irrigation and the development of irrigation water actually is a long term conservation measure. You can't develop anything anymore. Too many rules and regs in the way. If the irrigation water hadn't been developed you couldn't make the conversion to domestic use. So the fact that so many irrigate their yards means there is water available to convert to domestic use. That means more people but that is the real problem. We need to drastically cut back on people. I'm sure some where in a deep secret hole there is a plan to resolve this problem.

Grab yer bucket and come on up to Iowa.

Center Pivot Irrigation

I'm out of my element here as NH is usually swimming in water, but wouldn't phasing out center-pivot irrigation and switching to drip save lots of water?