Start designating reservior sites

"I support legislation that establishes more than 20 reservoir sites in statute because securing viable water supplies is vital to the future of the state."

Gov. Rick Perry

It was only one sentence in his State of the State speech, but it packed a punch.

Mr. Perry signaled legislators last week that he's on board for designating reservoir sites if they give him legislation to sign.

The task now moves to GOP Sen. Kip Averitt, who heads the Senate Natural Resources Committee, and to Democratic Rep. Robert Puente, who heads the House Natural Resources Committee.

Their committees share responsibility for drafting water legislation.

The issue could turn bloody since some Texans don't want more reservoirs.

They believe conservation and other strategies could supply enough water for the state's future needs.

What's more, some Texans object to turning bottomlands, farmlands and other large parcels into lakes.

In some cases, their objections are understandable.

Lands may have been in families for years.

Or they may contain coveted resources, such as hardwood forests.

But here's the dirty little secret: Texas can't conserve enough water to guarantee future supplies.

Nor are there enough failsafe alternatives to give up building more reservoirs.

Not with Texas likely to add 10 million residents over the next 25 years.

That's why the state's 50- year water plan proposes 17 major reservoirs and two minor ones.

Planners can't get started with them, however, until legislators authorize the sites.

Without a specific designation, the land could go to purposes other than securing our water supply.

Mr. Puente's committee heard a presentation about this last week.

We hope members were paying full attention when a Texas Water Development Board representative testified that 45 percent of Texans may lack sufficient water if another major drought strikes over the next three years.

We also hope they heard the economic realities:

If legislators don't start acting on the long-term plan, Texas could lose $9.1 billion in economic activity by 2010.

That's just three years away, during which time we could encounter another withering drought.

And the numbers only get worse over the long run.

Without putting into place the water plan's range of strategies, the state risks losing $98.4 billion in economic activity by 2060.

We can avoid these human and economic calamities with smart, courageous action.

Reservoirs aren't the only answer.

But we strongly encourage the House and Senate to follow Mr. Perry's lead and designate the sites.

Texas can't meet its longterm water needs without them.

Proposed reservoirs are as follows: North/Northeast Texas: Marvin Nichols, Lake Ralph Hall, Lower Bois D'Arc, Muenster, Ringgold; East Texas: Lake Fastrill, Bedias; Central Texas: Goldthwaite, Wheeler Branch, Brushy Creek, Little River, Little River Off-Channel, Tehuacana Creek; Southeast Texas: Texana; South Texas: Nueces Off-Channel, Brownsville Weir; West Texas: Lake 07, Lake 08, Cedar Ridge