T. Boone Pickens' boys from Mesa Water LLC rode into Clovis, NM, the other day, lookin' to sweet-talk those New Meskans into buying some of his fine Texas water.
Heck, Clovis is so close to Texas you could spit across the state line with the wind in your face.
Read Kevin Wilson's mighty fine article in the Clovis News Journal if you're a-hankering for more information.
Some tidbits:
Simply put, Mesa legislative consultant James E. “Buster” Brown said, “We have water, and it’s for sale.”
Mesa President Robert Stillwell said Pickens has purchased more than 250,000 acres of water rights along the Ogallala Aquifer, which covers the Texas Panhandle and parts of New Mexico.
Stillwell said it’s his understanding the water Mesa owns the rights to — which he said could produce 200,000 acre feet annually for 100 years — is the company’s to sell to New Mexico, Texas or anybody else because groundwater is considered the property of the landowner; in this case, Pickens.
Stillwell said the groundwater in the aquifer hasn’t shown a “bathtub effect,” under which water taken is recharged at the detriment of the groundwater supply for those who own neighboring land.
“The good news about our water is it’s not going anywhere. Even with extensive farming, our groundwater hasn’t been pulled away from us,” Stillwell said.
No "bathtub effect"? Not "going anywhwere"? Hmmm....
Pickens' ranch is in Roberts County.
Mesa Water mentioned that it would need to sell at least 35,000 acre-feet per year to the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority, which uses under 16,500 acre-feet annually. Looks like the ENMRWA will need some partners.
This is from Mesa Water's WWW site:
Beneath the four-county area of Roberts, Hemphill, Lipscomb, and Ochiltree, there are approximately 81 million acre-feet of high-quality, terrorist-resistant drought-proof water, with annual recharge estimated at 80,000 acre-feet. Only a very small percentage is used for irrigation because the topography of rolling hills, mesas and canyons is unsuitable for farming. Of 2.5 million acres in these counties, only 4% (about 100,000 acres) is irrigated.
And this:
Drawdown from the Mesa Water project will be limited to the immediate vicinity of the project area – an area without a need for the water.
No indication of what "immediate vicinity" means. No bathtub effect, either.
No data on the WWW site to support any of this, although Pickens' consultants have a ground water model of the area. I would sure love to see those data!
Don't forget the wind energy, guys.
“It is easier to stay out than to get out.” – Mark Twain
Comments