Texas Conservative News: Governor Perry Extends Drought Emergency
The following is a digest of an article originally published at the Governor of Texas official website. The Texas Lobby Group is posting this summary on our ancillary sites as a public service for other Texas lobbyists, Texas government officials and consultants, politically active persons and other interested parties.
Texas’s drought emergency has been extended. Rick Perry has announced the state’s renewal of the drought emergency. Many Texans may be on the verge of feeling like more time is spent in water conservation than not and they may be right to feel so. This drought emergency has been off and on for years, and in continuous effect for months at a time. Extremely low rainfall and high temperatures combined make for serious dry conditions. Aquifer and reservoir levels are at a dangerous and record low. Over the decades, there has been a massive increase in population throughout Texas, and it continues to grow at an increasing rate. There is also a serious issue at hand with the way people utilize water. Mindsets and action need to change in order to preserve our resources.
“I, RICK PERRY, Governor of the State of Texas, issued an Emergency Disaster Proclamation on July 5, 2011, certifying that exceptional drought conditions posed a threat of imminent disaster in specified counties in Texas. WHEREAS, record high temperatures, preceded by significantly low rainfall, have resulted in declining reservoir and aquifer levels, threatening water supplies and delivery systems in many parts of the state; and WHEREAS, prolonged dry conditions continue to increase the threat of wildfire across many portions of the state; and WHEREAS, these drought conditions have reached historic levels and continue to pose an imminent threat to public health, property and the economy.”
The majority of Texas counties are currently under water restriction. Water restrictions are issued in stages, and they eliminate the uses of water that are not essential. A good example of this is watering the lawn, which is something people can do without. In the years to come, it is projected that there will not be enough water for the Edward’s Aquifer to supply central Texas. We are at about maximum capacity currently. Desalination plants have been opened in the Gulf region, and more are planned to be opened in the future. Desalination is a very expensive method of creating drinking water, but it is an excellent solution in case of emergency due to the enormous amounts of salt water available.