Here's a subject that ties in our recent look at water policy with the Texas Judiciary. A recent decision may make it difficult for local governments to regulate water use. This might make water policy very difficult to implement.
In a case with potentially vast implications for groundwater rules in
Texas, the state supreme court has unanimously ruled in favor of two
farmers in the San Antonio area who challenged the local aquifer
authority's sharp restrictions on their use of a water well on their
land.
The much-anticipated ruling is
"going to make life much more complicated for groundwater districts,"
said Gregory Ellis, an attorney and the former general manager of the
Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA).
Texans wanting to put a well on
their land generally must go to their local groundwater conservation
district for permission to withdraw a certain amount of water, as part
of an effort to keep aquifers healthy.
