Plains Cotton Growers support the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District’s proposal to limit groundwater use on private farmland in Texas.
Controversial rule revisions contain annual irrigation limits of 1.5 acre-feet, or 18 inches, per acre beginning Jan. 1 said a recent article from The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Exceeding limits could carry civil penalties like fines, but that has not yet been determined.
Tom Sell represents Combest, Sell & Associates. He says the law can be ‘murky and property rights are not absolute.’
“It’s complicated,” he said. “Does the water district have authority? I think so.”
Meter installation and groundwater limits are in response to Texas’ water crisis.