Creative Solutions Needed to Secure Texas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Marbury, Environmental Defense Fund, (512) 691-3430-w or (512) 786-4960-c or lmarbury@edf.org
Media Contact: Laura Williamson at (512) 691-3447-w or (512) 828-1690-c or lwilliamson@edf.org

(Austin, TX - April 17, 2009) State and city water planners, academics, business representatives and environmentalists gather in Austin today to discuss new opportunities to help meet growing demands on important and finite resource: water.

“Demands on our state’s water resources are already high and they will continue to grow,” said Laura Marbury, Texas Water Projects Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “We are fast approaching the point where traditional strategies to obtain water, like drilling a new well or laying another pipe to the river, aren’t going to cut it anymore.

“We need to explore new ideas to help meet future water supply challenges,” Marbury said. “The goal of this conference is to help everyone involved to start thinking outside the box of traditional water supply strategies.”

The conference will cover three different opportunities that could help secure Texas’ future water supply:

• Water-neutral New Residential and Commercial Development – offsetting new water demands by using new development to achieve a higher standard of water use efficiency and conservation in existing communities.
• Reverse Auctions for Protecting Environmental Flows – utilizing reverse auctions as a way for the state to buy back unused water rights and free up water to meet environmental needs.
• Energy-Water Nexus – integrating energy and water policy with planning to reap the benefits of increased efficiencies in both realms.

Presenters include Richard Harris, from the California-based East Bay Municipal Utility District and other experts from San Antonio Water System; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; Austin Water Utility; The University of Texas, Environmental Defense Fund and more.

The conference takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at 801 LaCrosse Ave. in Austin. A 35$ fee is required for admittance (waived for media), which includes lunch. Registration is available at the door. Audio recordings of presentations will be available after the conference online.

Learn more at http://www.texaswatermatters.org/2009/index.htm.