The Chamber’s Energy & Sustainability and Water Committees welcomed Representative Lyle Larson to a joint meeting last week to give committee members insight into what he sees as priority in the 85th legislative session. Larson touched on water storage, desalination and efforts with Mexico and surrounding states to share water resources.
Larson was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Southwestern States Water Commission where he and Senator Charles Perry work with neighboring states to identify and develop sources and methods of augmenting water supplies regionally.
He highlighted efforts made with Louisiana and Oklahoma to develop long-term solutions. Leaders from Louisiana will be coming to Texas in February to continue conversations on the potential for developing a water plant as well as transporting water from their state to ours.
Larson also touched on efforts with Mexico, specifically on the need for amendments to the 1944 Water Treaty: Mexico's Rio Grande water deliveries to the United States. The language doesn’t currently specify the frequency of water to be released. Larson, Perry and representatives of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) have been meeting quarterly with the Con Agua, Mexico's National Water Commission to discuss effective ways to move forward.
Larson mentioned that he will be proposing a bill this session to analyze the geological formation of Aquifer Storage and Recovery facilities (ASR). He is also interested in creating an Evaporation and Excess Flow Credits Program for existing customers.
Representative Larson has been a strong advocate for open dialogue with our neighboring states and Mexico as well as investing in new technology to bolster our state's water supply. He stressed the importance of a strategic water reserve that will ensure our state's water security into the future.
Representative Larson serves on the House Committees on Natural Resources; Culture, Recreation and Tourism; Calendars; and General Investigating and Ethics. He has served the San Antonio community as chairman of the San Antonio Military Transformation Task Force, the San Antonio – Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Alamo Area Council of Governments and the Greater San Antonio Crime Commission.