Fuzzy math...and water

The Fort Worth Business Press recently did an article on the recent meeting concerning the Texas water shortage.  Yes, "leaders" finally admit there is one.  (Remember back when the Biz Press was concerned about water?)

The article says Texas business could lose hundreds of billions of dollars due to having no water.  Don't worry, the Trinity River Vision will save us.  Or not.

Notice what they say about Proposition 2 and general obligation bonds.  Remember, you don't get to vote on those either.

State representatives and city officials convened for the Oct. 20 gathering, where a DFW Hyatt Regency ballroom echoed with urgency.

Officials hammered home some startling facts. Unless more water infrastructure is built, Texas businesses and their employees could lose $115.7 billion in income, according to figures released by the Texas Water Development Board.

If approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would allow the Texas Water Development Board to issue general obligation bonds for water infrastructure upgrades.

“Water is really about economics"

You can say that again.

Same song and dance

Any of this starting to sound familiar, yet?

Texas in the New York Times...again.  

Eminent Domain Fight Has a Canadian Twist

Randy Thompson, a Nebraska landowner, is challenging the assumption by TransCanada that it can seize land for an oil pipeline. 

 
 By LESLIE KAUFMAN and DAN FROSCH
    Published: October 17, 2011 

 A Canadian company has been threatening to confiscate private land from South Dakota to the Gulf of Mexico, and is already suing many who have refused to allow the Keystone XL pipeline on their property even though the controversial project has yet to receive federal approval. 
 
Randy Thompson, a cattle buyer in Nebraska, was informed that if he did not grant pipeline access to 80 of the 400 acres left to him by his mother along the Platte River, "Keystone will use eminent domain to acquire the easement." 

Sue Kelso and her large extended family in Oklahoma were sued in the local district court by TransCanada, the pipeline company, after she and her siblings refused to allow the pipeline to cross their pasture. "Their land agent told us the very first day she met with us, you either take the money or they're going to condemn the land," Mrs. Kelso said. 

By its own count, the company currently has 34 eminent domain actions against landowners in Texas and an additional 22 in South Dakota. 

“It was a hard decision whether I wanted to fight and spend all this money even though I could lose the thing,” Ms. Fairchild said in a weary drawl. “But somebody needs to fight them. I decided it would be me.” 

WHAT water?

The Trinity River Vision (Distraction) has the Tarrant Regional Water District all tied up in Fort Worth.  Watch a couple of minutes of video from the Trinity River Talk that TRIP held this week. John Basham explains that Region C (that's us) is out of water.  What happens to a city that runs out of water?  What happens if that city is already in debt? What happens to the rest of the county?  WHO's next?

If there ain't no water, there ain't no jobs.

What's wrong with Texas?

You wouldn't believe how many people google that phrase each day.

Most of us here at Lone Star are all lifelong Texans, the rest got here as quick as they could.  We love Texas  though sadly, these days, we can relate to WHY people would be asking that question.

Here's a few things just to get the ball rolling -

We have some of the worst air in the nation.  Instead of working with the EPA to correct it, some Texas politicians are fighting them claiming, "we'll lose jobs".  Uh, dead people don't need jobs. 

You want to drill next to homes, rivers, creeks, schools? No problem, make a donation to a  campaign, church, library or museum and it's yours.

We can't afford to give money to our schools.  Though we can apparently afford to give some of those air polluting friends of our politicians tax rebates.  That means WE are paying the refineries. Did we mention we can't afford to fund our schools?


We are in the top 5 in the nation for horrid traffic messes.  Mind you, we're building freeways all around, however they ain't free.  Most of those will be toll roads and we'll be paying our politicians friends in Spain to drive on them.

The Fort Worth Business Press once said, "Tarrant County may be the eminent domain capital ..." If you live here or own a business here, tread carefully as it could be taken by our politicians friends, such as the gas drillers, the Tarrant Regional Water District (or Trinity River Vision Authority) or even Jerry Jones. Don't forget TXDOT.

Our water supply is dwindling faster than you can frac a well.  Our plan?  Sue Oklahoma, again.  We've already lost several times, but you can't tell a Texan no...no matter how much it costs taxpayers.

And don't get us started on the "news" in Texas.  They've been bought and brought to you by you-know-who...

What's all this costing YOU?  More importantly, what is it going to cost YOUR kids?  Do something.  Anything.  YOUR kids will thank you.

History Lesson

Read the Letter to the Editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

YOU can't afford not to.

Wasting water

Someone once said, "Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink!"

There is an extreme lack of drinking water throughout the world, and we in the U.S. are a wasteful water nation -- homes, lawns, industries, water parks etc. And yes, the Trinity River Vision costing millions that should be spent for water projects 10, 20 and more years coming!

Think ahead not for ourselves but our future children's children!

Not meaning to be biblical, but if the Earth once was destroyed by water could it be destroyed by a lack of water?

-- George J. Anthony, Fort Worth

Do YOUR job

A letter to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram makes a good point, we need a hero.  And a new Water District.

Cool, clear water

In his 1962 Farewell to the West Point Cadets, Gen. Douglas MacArthur sternly told them that their primary duty was to win their country's wars, that should they fail, the nation would be destroyed. To the board of the Tarrant Regional Water District, bullheadedly engaged in pursuing the moribund Trinity River Vision even while Texas is caught in the clutches of drought, I write in the vein of MacArthur's oration.

Through all the welter of change and development that has come to Fort Worth, your mandate stands out like a tenfold beacon in the night. It remains fixed, determined, inviolate -- it is to provide water.

Everything else is but corollary to this vital dedication. All other public purposes, all other public projects will find others for their accomplishment; but you are the ones who are charged with bringing cool, clear water with the sure knowledge that there is no substitute for water, and that if you fail, the city will be destroyed.

Superstar Gen. Douglas MacArthur. When cometh such another?

-- Don Woodard Sr., Fort Worth

THE PEOPLE get it

WHY don't the "leaders"?  Oh yes, greed.

Another good Letter to the Editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Water shell game

Public Relations 101, courtesy of the Barnett Shale industry: The issue should not be that we're quite frankly poisoning your water, but more that we welcome every opportunity to discuss air quality.

It's not that we're matter-of-factly poisoning your water, it's that we're paying people -- creating jobs -- to do it.

It's not that we are giving briefcases of cash to your politicians to feint laughable regulation, it's just that, by the time you wake up, we'll have scattered and be back selling you the greatest commodity in history: potable water.

-- Scott Krauza, Bedford

Old News Bandwagon

For a couple of years we (and Durango) have been telling you about water being removed from the creeks and river for gas drilling purposes.  Now that we're in a drought, someone is finally paying attention.  Reminds us of local flooding issues, no one cares, till the rain starts again.

Odd how it all comes back to water.

Thanks to the Watchdog, Don Young, for getting the "news" involved. 

Check it out on CBSlocal.com

While many North Texans are being asked to conserve water during a statewide drought, three large pipelines are pulling millions of gallons of water out of the Trinity River in Fort Worth, near West Seventh Street.

Where are the pipelines taking the water? Follow them past raised sidewalk sections and roadway crossings and you will end up at a natural gas well located just outside of Trinity River Park, operated by Chesapeake Energy.

There are several more "quotes" and so called "facts" in the article, but they all made us want to say, BS. 

Fracing up the river...

Seems we've mentioned this before...

Gas drillers removing water from OUR rivers and creeks.  Ultimately, WHO pays?  YOU do.

Read about it on FWCANDO.  Then, DO something.

Now, in the middle of a record-breaking drought and with the blessing of the Fort Worth Mayor and City Council, Chesapeake is preparing to frack the well with water from the river. As of last week, they began ramming water-sucking pipes through the park, right next to the duck pond and playgrounds where children play.

Hey Brother, can you spare some outrage?

Speaking of water...

A letter to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram makes another interesting point.  Protecting from flooding and supplying water, isn't that a water district's job?  WHAT are they up to instead?  Ask them.

Water pipelines

I totally agree with Friday letter writer Harry Kelly's logic about a water pipeline to Texas. This exact topic has been raised repeatedly among my engineering friends.

Water pipelines flowing south to Texas and other parched areas could have prevented the recent flooding of farmland along the Mississippi River. Similar pipelines placed strategically in flood-prone areas could be part of a network of pipelines nationwide to relieve drought-stricken areas as well as create new water storage reservoirs. There is no reason why our government cannot see the logic of moving the excess water from one place and send it to another that desperately needs it. This would also create thousands of jobs to build and maintain the life saving network.

-- Steven West, Arlington

Water WHERE?

While Grand Prairie cuts back on the water drillers can have during the drought/water shortage, Arlington says full steam ahead.  (The picture above was sent to us from Fort Worth last week, no surprise there).

Only one council member had anything to say, really??  THE PEOPLE are the ones bringing this up, WHY aren't the elected officials looking out for their constituents?  Don't they need water, too?  Or did they make a deal?

Read about it on WFAA.com.

Finally...

A city with common sense?

From the Dallas Morning News - Grand Prairie cutting off the water supply for some gas drilling operations because of drought conditions.

Duh. 

Texas Drought

Yahoo news does a story on a Texas lake turned blood red.

Why are the fish dead?
From a bacteria that thrives in oxygen deprived water.

Chromatiaceae bacteria.

WHO keeps telling you to come on down and get in the Trinity River for a float, on a tube?  The Tarrant Regional Water District and/or their corporation, the Trinity River Vision Authority. 

The article says many West Texas reservoirs have done dry.  Some are calling it the end of times...well, what do you think happens when WE run out of water?

We're in a drought, you know.

There is a comment on the article that seemed to sum it up.....

We should not be so worried about God ending the world, because we are doing a pretty good job.

Drought doesn't just apply to the weather...pay attention.  YOU can't afford not to.