We are just now seeing the TIP of what will be the most serious problems facing states water supplies. Typically all states develop these PIE IN THE SKY water plans that are unsustainable and cost far more than they are worth, both economically and environmentally. Water wars have been ONGOING in several cross state water sheds for some years now - Georgia, Alabama, Florida are one prime example, and even Texas is now SUING Oklahoma for access rights to Oklahoma stored capacities -

Our politicans really don't have a CLUE how serious this problem ALREADY is - but at least they are talking about it thru the courts

Sure I would love to see more static dead lakes (not) I am a fishing finnaddict, but I just can't see that producing more big holes to go dry will help - additionally in times of drought we loose huge numbers of trees and other air cleaning foliage - and even more when we inundate millions of forrested acres of bottomland -

A state agricultural report today estimated 500 MILLION mature trees lost as a result of drought and wildfires this year.

For every greenspace we pave over or cover with water we "change" the local climates - it becomes HOTTER in summer, and colder in winter

Environmental wacko's of which I am NOT one - will give you a laundry list of WHY more lakes are not a good thing -

Good fishing holes for thirty years YES, but looking at long term, NO.

Interstate,Interbasin transfer from sources of plenty, to arid regions are options that need to be looked at, but they also bring new sets of problems - can you say asian carp, florida exotics, zebra mussels, rusty crawfish, giant salvinnia, or any host of invasive water weeds and unsuitable invasive fish and mollusks?

water, water, everywhere and no NATIONAL plan for conservancy or supply.

For every lake built in Texas mitigation fund should be supplied to plant like numbers of trees lost as a result of inundation --

Water does NOT manufacture oxygen !!!

all the plants and algae in water create quite a bit of oxygen. unless you kill all the plants with herbacides and grass carp a few more lakes woulndnt hurt as long as the gov. uses the lands it has already taken into its possession and not confiscate more. I live in east texas and live in a small community with 3 small private lakes 50 80 and 200 hundred acres the state came in a month ago and and took pics of lakes. then odered the drains be opened and water levels kept at that current level which is below full pool. If we do not comply 1000$ aday fine per lake. Now that we have rain we are not allowed to let the lake rise 2 feet to the spill way.

Vascular plants and most algae types are net consumers, not producers of oxygen in most freshwater lakes. Hence the annual oxygen depletions in weedy lakes, and not so in lakes not weed covered. Adding grass carp, and/or proper, timely treatment with herbicides actually increases the lake's oxygen budget, not decrease it.

I did not know that the heavy hand of the state (TCEQ?) was able to force landowners to pull water from their lakes. Now THAT is invasive government.

I'm currently filling my 30 acre reservoir at my fish farm from the bayou. It rained enough for the first time in many months to run the pump, and I'm catching every drop. I've a permit for 750 acre-feet, but only need about 200 or so to fill up the reservoir and the farm. As long as I remain within the confines of my pumping permit, the state cannot force me to do anything. Discharging water back to the stream, now that is another matter altogether...

Construction of new reservoirs in Texas presents a problem due to the sites most of these lakes can be built on. Almost every lake is built or planned in and around river channels (to fill them) and as such inundate high (ecological) value bottomland hardwood forests and habitats. These are crucial to such things as the songbird population in North America, endangered species here in Texas, and as part of the precious few remaining pristine areas of our state.

We need to be very careful in reviewing where such reservoirs are to be constructed and try to reach some sort of balance between human need and a halfway conserved environment.

About half the water consumed in Texas could be saved by banning golf courses and carpetgrass lawns West of I 45. A lesser amount could be saved by forcing golf courses to be more conserving and using waste water to irrigate with and the same for carpetgrass lawns where it doesn't rain enough to keep them alive.

I brought this up a month ago.

Desalinating sea water is really simple and cheap.
You just boil sea water and collect the steam.

I still think its the only effective solution to the problem of water-shortage for public use. Each month, more and more folks from around the country are realizing how Texas is doing much better compared to the rest of the country so they're moving down here.

Desalination makes for a good source of drinking water, but is very expensive in terms of energy use. Running a huge still to produce millions of gallons of fresh water will cost tremendously and might work for high value uses, but not for irrigation, watering lawns, and filling pools.

With increasing energy costs, that will only get more expensive. Now, if a desalination plant can be set up as a cogeneration project using waste heat to evaporate the water, that might make more sense. Might even be a method to employ solar power in a meaningful way.

At any rate, we (Texans) will need to have a better plan than we've got right now as the population will continue to grow into the foreseable future, as will our need for freshwater.