FB works to protect water quality

Protecting the state's water supply and quality is important to Farm Bureau members.

Texas is comprised of approximately 168 million acres of land. About 66 percent -- or 100 million acres -- is covered with brush, cedar trees, mesquite and cactus. These trees and plants rob the state of more than 10 million acre-feet of water annually. This represents almost half the 25.7 million acre-feet of surface and groundwater used each year in Texas.

Very little grass and other desirable ground cover can survive where dense cedar or mesquite is present. The lack of desirable grass and ground cover then leads to bare ground and the strong possibility of soil erosion and flooding.

This means tax dollars must be used to clean and construct new reservoirs to replace the water storage space that has been lost.

With the increasing demand for water by urban developments, landowners have begun to experience water shortages, deteriorating water quality and, in some cases, the public water supply has decreased significantly.

When brush and undesirable vegetation take over the grazing area, a rancher's livestock-carrying potential diminishes radically. More and more acreage is required to feed the livestock, which has a dramatic impact on the economic wellbeing of the area. Deepgrowing root systems of undesirable trees can extract water from the soil before it has a chance to reach the water table in aquifers.

Likewise, when trash is allowed to accumulate around a watershed, the quality of the water collected diminishes significantly. If the water quality isn't protected and public awareness isn't raised, the product left for future generations may be so bad they won't be able to use it.

Farmers and ranchers represent only about 2 percent of the population -- a significant minority. Yet this small percentage of people manages to feed the nation and have enough surplus to export to other countries.

Farmers and ranchers shouldn't be handicapped further by the unnecessary pollution of the water supply. If it becomes a primary interest to do everything possible to keep the water quality and quantity safe, all members of the public will benefit.