Landowner and citizen information on groundwater leasing, marketing and sales
Groundwater leasing, marketing and sales will be the focus of a conference series set for April 1 in San Antonio, July 29 in Alpine and September 14 in Nacogdoches.
The conference series, organized by the Texas A&M University System, Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas Department of Agriculture and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, is designed for landowners, realtors, bankers and members of conservation districts involved in groundwater transactions.
Ronald Kaiser, a professor at Texas A&M University whose specialty is water marketing, law and policy and one of the conference organizers, said these day-long conferences will describe laws governing groundwater sales and exports, implications for landowners and communities, and negotiation of sales arrangements. These conferences seek to inform landowners about the opportunities and issues associated with selling and leasing the water under their land and how they can protect their interests.
Kaiser said, “Buying and leasing water is not a new idea. Landowners and cities have been buying and selling water for more than 100 years. However, in the last five years, cities have increasingly sought to acquire groundwater from rural areas and move it to growing population centers. It is a hot topic, and the political and public interest is definitely up.”
Speakers at the conferences include a number of experts and attorneys who deal with water issues. A question and answer forum will be included in the conferences to allow participants to interact with experts.
- April 1, 2004
- San Antonio Garden Center,
- San Antonio, TX
- July 29, 2004
- Espino Conference Center
- Sul Ross State University,
- Alpine, TX
- September 14, 2004
- College of Forestry Conf. Center
- Stephen F. Austin State
- University, Nacogdoches, TX
Conference cooperators and supporters include the Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, Texas Farm Bureau, Sierra Club, Department of Natural Resources at Sul Ross State University, College of Forestry Stephen F. Austin State University, and the City of San Antonio.
Registration until 10 days prior to the conference is $55 per conference. Late registration is $75. Space is limited at each site. To register, call Kathryn Nachlinger at (979) 845-5419 or register online at http://texaswater.tamu.edu. For additional conference information, contact Val Silvy at (979) 845-2027 or vasilvy@ag.tamu.edu.
