Drought perspectives: Upper Colorado River Authority

By Courtney Smith

Chartered in 1935, the Upper Colorado River Authority (UCRA) in San Angelo, Texas, served primarily as a lending institution for local municipalities seeking to make area water improvements prior to the 1990s, according to its website.

While UCRA continues this role, the river authority is now heavily involved in education and outreach programs and efforts protecting water quality and conservation in West Texas. This includes the drought stricken watersheds of Tom Green, Coke and other contiguous counties.

O.C. Fisher Reservoir, a secondary drinking water source for San Angelo, and E.V. Spence Reservoir, which currently only supplies water to the city of Robert Lee, are both at less than one percent capacity, said Chuck Brown, UCRA’s director of operations.

“A majority of the rivers and creeks in the upper Colorado basin are either dry or not flowing. With no additional inflows, projected surface water supplies for San Angelo will be exhausted within two years,” he said.

San Angelo residents are currently in Drought Stage 1 water restrictions with Stage 2 restrictions on the horizon. Stage 1 restrictions place limits on watering and charge a standard fee for excessive water usage.

“Robert Lee will run out of water soon and is on a feverish pace to build a pipeline to the city of Bronte, which will supply Robert Lee water from its well field,” Brown said. The pipeline should be completed early next year.

With drought at the forefront, Camp Odyssey, a UCRA-led summer camp held in August, focused on the flow of water through San Angelo and took local youth to very dry lakes and to the Colorado River.

“Since O.C. Fisher was completely dry, we were able to walk with the kids across the barren lake bed,” said Dr. Christy Youker, UCRA’s education and outreach director. “This was literally the most talked-about part of the camp because it was so hot, so dry and there were dead fish everywhere,” she said.

Youker said that portion of camp made a tremendous impression on campers and led to discussion about conservation and problems with evaporation in West Texas.

“In partnership with the city of San Angelo, we have stressed conservation, landscaping adjustments and the importance of supporting infrastructure improvements and new possibilities for water sources,” Youker said.

For more information about UCRA and their outreach and education efforts, visit ucratx.org.