LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously

Stimulus Package Austin Boater Offline Austin Boater Posts: 222	LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously Sep 10^th, 2013 at 10:37pm http://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/lcra-to-release-more-water-downstream
Back to top	IP Logged

Stimulus Package Austin Boater Offline Austin Boater Posts: 222	Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously Reply #1 - Sep 10^th, 2013 at 10:39pm HARSH criticism wasn't so much for the Matagorda Bay estuaries as it was for the supplemental water for stinking DUCK HUNTING PONDS which KXAN failed to mention (even though I mentioned it several times during my interview).
Back to top	IP Logged

PDubs

Austin Boater

Offline

Austin Boater

Posts: 112
Austin
Gender: male

Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously
Reply #2 - Sep 11^th, 2013 at 8:47am

I'm sure there were low levels (droughts) in those areas before the river was ever controlled and the "endangered" species came back just fine; let nature run its course. Seems like LCRA is doing everything they can at this point to hit that drought of record mark. They are either truly incompetent or just love all the attention the past few years...or both!!

Back to top

IP Logged

mobileMERCman

Veteran Austin Boater

Offline

Old Salty Dog

Posts: 262
Jonestown
Gender: male

Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously
Reply #3 - Sep 11^th, 2013 at 6:51pm

I just did a lot of reading on the LCRA site. Lots of info. Lots of facts but NO WHERE did I see anything showing how much water goes where.

Change is needed. Just because something has been going on for 100 years does not mean it is right or responsible now.

Record drought , record low in flow, Did they show or admit record release rates? Of course not?

Interesting video on main page.

Back to top

Jim

IP Logged

mobileMERCman Veteran Austin Boater Offline Old Salty Dog Posts: 262 Jonestown Gender:	Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously Reply #4 - Sep 11^th, 2013 at 7:35pm IMO the two over riding issues that are not be addressed are First the irresponsible use for growing rice. I don't understand how any reasonable party would let this continue. Second, there is no plan in place if it does not rain other than prayer.
Back to top	Jim IP Logged

mobileMERCman Veteran Austin Boater Offline Old Salty Dog Posts: 262 Jonestown Gender:	Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously Reply #5 - Sep 11^th, 2013 at 8:30pm Were is were it went Clearly the majority is for agriculture. 2012 the TCEQ intervened http://www.lcra.org/library/media/public/docs/water/supply/Water-Use-Supply-2012...
Back to top	Jim IP Logged

nathan

Lake Admiral

Offline

Going Home !!!!!

Posts: 2120
Leander, TX Soon
Gender: male

Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously
Reply #6 - Sep 11^th, 2013 at 9:42pm

we have the same thing going on here. the Dow chemical plant in Freeport wants the water from Waco lake and others along the Brazos river. originally Waco said no because their rights to the water has been in place longer than Dow's. but the state has stepped in and ordered the lakes allow water to flow to Dow's plant.

Back to top

My Happy place is on a boat at the lake with my kids!!

current boats:
1983 chaparral 235 XLC (restoration)
1977 playcraft p24 pontoon (parents own now I am the mechanic)
1975 skeeter hawk (on hold)

IP Logged

Captain YARRR

Admin

Offline

Doing the rain dance

Posts: 2587
Round Rock, TX
Gender: male

Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously
Reply #7 - Sep 11^th, 2013 at 10:11pm

mobileMERCman wrote on Sep 11^th, 2013 at 7:35pm:

First the irresponsible use for growing rice. I don't understand how any reasonable party would let this continue.

It is absolutely insane...they need to be bought out or something then completely stripped of rights for water. I understand it is people's livelihood but there needs to be a transition away for the greater good.

Back to top

2005 Sunsation Dominator 32 MCOB - twin 6.3L
2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10: 460 RWHP, 503 RWTQ

IP Logged

In2Deep Veteran Austin Boater Offline Lake Travis / LOTO Boater Posts: 442 Lake Travis/ LOTO Gender:	Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously Reply #8 - Sep 12^th, 2013 at 9:32am U N B E L I E V A B L E
Back to top	...and now a message from our sponsors IP Logged

mobileMERCman

Veteran Austin Boater

Offline

Old Salty Dog

Posts: 262
Jonestown
Gender: male

Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously
Reply #9 - Sep 12^th, 2013 at 10:59am

LCRA is following guide lines set many years ago. They are not the ones to complain to.

Complaints should be directed to TCEQ Homepage

The guidelines need to be changed and they are the ones to do it.

The river can not support everything being demanded from it. Namely the irresponsible use of flooding fields for rice. Just because it has been do this way for 100 years means nothing now. Water is too precious to use irresponsible.

Things come and go all the time during the course of history. Recently a few examples are pay phones and the space shuttle. Their useful life came and went just as rice farming in Texas has come, lived a long life and now has to go.

Focus on what will bring change. TCEQ has the power to bring that change if anyone does.

Back to top

Jim

IP Logged

Blessed

Land Lubber

Offline

Austin Boater

Posts: 16
Steiner Ranch
Gender: male

Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously
Reply #10 - Sep 13^th, 2013 at 1:15pm

First the irresponsible use for growing rice. I don't understand how any reasonable party would let this continue.

Seems to me, rice farming in Texas is a lost cause. Why anyone would want a rice farm in the most drought ridden state is beyond me. Not sure what all it takes to grow rice, besides a bunch of water, but surely they could find a state that doesn't suffer from ten year droughts to farm.

Back to top

IP Logged

Stimulus Package

Austin Boater

Offline

Austin Boater

Posts: 222

Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously
Reply #11 - Sep 18^th, 2013 at 7:14pm

A "bunch" of water for growing rice in Wharton, Colorado and Matagorda counties is roughly three times the annual water usage of the city of Austin and surrounding cities supplied by the city of Austin. In 2011, while the rice farmers used 450,000 Ac ft of lake water, the city of Austin used 125,000 Ac ft. There are right around 200 total rice farms in the three counties and well over 1 million people in the city of Austin.

The city of Austin pays over $150 per ac ft of water. Rice farmers pay less than $10 per Ac ft.

The city of Austin was incorporated roughly 50 years before the first rice farm showed up on the lower Colorado River.

I could go on...and on....and on....

Back to top

IP Logged

mobileMERCman Veteran Austin Boater Offline Old Salty Dog Posts: 262 Jonestown Gender:	Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously Reply #12 - Sep 18^th, 2013 at 8:29pm A good read. http://withoutapaddleblog.com/2013/09/16/whiskeys-for-drinkin-waters-for-fightin...
Back to top	Jim IP Logged

mobileMERCman Veteran Austin Boater Offline Old Salty Dog Posts: 262 Jonestown Gender:	Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously Reply #13 - Sep 18^th, 2013 at 8:34pm More info http://hydromet.lcra.org/lakevolume/systemprofile.aspx
Back to top	Jim IP Logged

97FASTech Veteran Austin Boater Offline Canyon Lake Boater Posts: 278 Canyon Lake / Houston	Re: LCRA releasing water for duck hunting...seriously Reply #14 - Sep 19^th, 2013 at 10:01am What does this mean for the Austin area? http://www.chron.com/news/science-environment/article/River-authority-OKs-plan-t...
Back to top	IP Logged