SAN ANTONIO – As the battle over water in the state of Texas continues to escalate, one big question looms: who in the state is willing to share?
Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, has authored a bill that offers a state-wide solution in the form of a water grid and a water market.
The idea is not dissimilar to the Texas' electrical grid, allowing water to travel from areas that have it to areas that do not.
"We've got 16 (regional water planning groups) and we fight each other fiercely along those boundaries," said Larson.
The idea behind the bill calls for areas of the state with more water to share the wealth.
"You know we're all Texans," said Larson. "We share resources every day."
House Bill 3298 proposes an interconnectivity of all water resources -- from groundwater, to surface water, and potential desalination plants.
A grid of pipelines would be used to transport the precious resource across the state. Those providing the water would be compensated.
"If we can put the grid together, I believe you're going to see billions of dollars in private-sector money that'll float into Texas," said Larson, who said he also believed the grid was needed to keep the state's economy competitive.
The idea of a state-wide water grid is gaining traction and support from state leadership, including the governor, according to Larson.
One of the entities in favor of the bill was the San Antonio Water System, with the belief that the bill would be good for San Antonio and the surrounding region.
"We plan on an ‘us versus them' basis and we've got to get over that mindset," said Donovan Burton, vice president of government relations for SAWS. "So I think this kind of a network would allow for communities to partner and collaborate."
In fact, the SAWS Vista Ridge project is a possible template for the grid.
On the flipside, those opposed to the bill said it was overreaching, posed a threat to the environment, and undermined achieving a state-wide consensus.
"It might actually encourage some areas to use more water, kind of like in Los Angeles (where they are) using a ton of water and taking it from other areas," said Annalisa Peace, director of the Edwards Aquifer Alliance, which opposed the bill.
House Bill 3298 is currently being reviewed by the Natural Resources Committee. According to Larson, it would take around two years of planning in order to create such a grid.