Water Rights

[SCOUT]

I used to say that water rights are going to be the next political football, but it seems that has already come to pass. My town (Murphy, TX) is already in stage 3 water restrictions and more people are moving in every day. This is already a dilemma and is only going to get worse.

My question is, how do water rights work? Is it from the source, over property, does it begin and end (i.e. mine when it crosses my property but not once it leaves)? I have no idea.

What is the collective knowledge on Soonerfans regarding water rights?

[REDREX]

Water law differs from east to west---- -http://texaswater.tamu.edu/water-law-------I will send you a bill

[FaninAma]

I work in Texas but live in Oklahoma and this is one of the reasons why. This is going to be a huge problem for Texas.

[yermom]

wasn't T. Boone trying to screw over Oklahoma on this deal a while back?

[dwarthog]

Yermom, I thought T. Boone was buying up land over aquifers in the Texas panhandle area or something along those lines? He was definitely up to something with regards to trying to buy up water sources in some way.

[badger]

Yermom, I thought T. Boone was buying up land over aquifers in the Texas panhandle area or something along those lines? He was definitely up to something with regards to trying to buy up water sources in some way.

Yes, this happened. Water rights laws differ from state to state. In regards to stealing Oklahoma water, this was an ongoing issue where Arkansas and Louisiana are siding against Texas with us about the Red River and tributaries. SCOTUS also sided with Oklahoma unanimously. (http://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/tag/tarrant-vs-herrmann/)

It's something that isn't going away. Las Vegas is infamously running out of water (http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-California/2014/06/29/Las-Vegas-Running-Out-of-Water), but the fact that a desert had water to begin with was an amazing human feat. California is also having inner-state squabbles between north and south residents. Here's something on their water stuff. (http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/01/6527849/california-struggles-to-manage.html)

[BigTip]

I used to say that water rights are going to be the next political football,


I have said that it might be the cause of the next civil war! It's another kick the can down the road scenario. Screw global warming, the dwindling water supply/growing population problem is here and now and needs to be addressed.