By Mose Buchele, KUT News for StateImpact Texas
AUSTIN – The 2013 Ag Water Forum met in Austin just a few blocks from the State Capital. That was no coincidence- as lawmakers grapple with how to fund the state water plan, agricultural groups have voiced concerns that their water needs might be sidelined this legislative session.
Democratic State Representative Eddie Lucio III, who represents agricultural regions in the Rio Grande Valley, spoke at the event. Part of his job he said was to assuage those fears.
EDDIE LUCIO III: “There has to be a way to marry the needs of both agricultural and municipal use because they in reality are married to one another and it’s just through policy and funding that we do that.”
Lucio’s message: lawmakers need to focus on funding for conservation and infrastructure projects to benefit farmers and ranchers as well as Texas’ growing cities.
There’s an emerging consensus among lawmakers that the state should take around $2 billion from the Texas Rainy Day Fund to put towards water projects. The senate bill that proposes to do that designates 10% of the money for rural use. The house bill does not.
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