| Groundwater usage and water rights are becoming the new “mineral lease” of the 21st century. Throughout the state, investors have staked a claim to thousands of acre feet of this resource in hopes of cashing in with the expansion of urban areas and the lack of groundwater in many parts of the more populated areas of the state.“Water wars” have broken out between property
owners due to rule of capture, contamination from various means or man-made dams that affect |
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the
natural flow of creeks, streams, and rivers as well as owners downstream. Industrial mining and
quarries in rural areas have also placed an additional burden on underground water aquifers.
Recently, The Clean Water Act
has raised concern and debate in
defining "navigable" as it
relates to waters of the US and
the effect on agricultural
operations and activities.
All
of these issues have opened up the debate of surface usage above aquifers and along rivers due to
contamination concerns. Whether it is water usage or contamination, underground water, rivers, and
streams are creating a new challenge in the Hill Country. |
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