Posted: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 02:45 PM - 14,475 Readers

By: Taylor Short

Dissatisfied with the representation for the Lower Colorado River Basin, a group of Central Texans is advocating for the communities and businesses that thrive off the Highland Lakes.

The Lower Colorado River Authority formed a committee last May of 16 people with various interests in the lakes and water. A year later, committee member Jo Karr Tedder said it was clear that what the lakes need is not happening.

"There have been a lot of organizations around Lake Travis that have been active for years," she said. "But to be effective, you have to have a unified voice and that is our goal."

Someone needed to advocate for businesses on the lake that sink or swim depending on water levels and quality, Tedder said, whereas irrigators downstream who have insurance and federal subsidies are bailed out when water problems arise.

"That has to change," she said. "The population downriver is increasing and it's wonderful to have growth, but you have to have water."

Committee members on the lakes team then formed the Central Texas Water Coalition with the goal of conserving the lakes' water supply, but also preserving what Tedder calls "the irreplaceable economic engine for the State of Texas."

The group outlines solutions in a statement, including creating additional sources of water for areas downstream, adjusting water management policies and re-evaluating drought conditions.

The group also wants an economic valuation of the lake system—something Travis County plans to release in the coming months.

The nonprofit umbrella organization is speaking to any community that has an interest to foster change that would create equality among water users and those who depend on the lake.

"Now with the population explosion, it's just a totally different world," she said.

To learn more about the CTWC, visit www.ourwater-ourfuture.com.

*  Story Contributed by: Taylor Short