By Megan Wehring
HAYS COUNTY – Water has become even more precious amid the drought that the state of Texas has been experiencing for months.
Jo Karr Tedder, president of the Central Texas Water Coalition, is starting discussions about updating the Lower Colorado River Authority’s (LCRA) Water Management Plan. While the LCRA is slated to revisit the plan in 2025, Tedder is worried that is too long of a wait due to current weather conditions.
“It would be wonderful if we got rain and didn’t end up in a drought [or] a mega-drought like in California, which has been in a drought for 22 years,” Karr said. “We are Texas; we are not California. But we are also silly if we don’t look at what’s happening there.”
The coalition is working to get counties to push the LCRA to update the plan. Neighboring Travis and Burnet counties have given it a green light but a recent vote by the Hays County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, Aug. 9 denied the request.
The resolution would request that the LCRA work with local leaders and stakeholders “to accelerate the update of its Water Management Plan to implement a more protective approach to managing the Highland Lakes.”
Commissioner Walt Smith said he would like to see more representation from Hays County on the Texas Water Development Board – he will continue local discussions about water supply.
