   |
 |
Water Quest Report: Ensuring Water Funding Comes To West Texas
Water Quest Report: Ensuring Water Funding Comes To West Texas 02/21/13
Robert Guaderrama
rguaderrama@cbs7.com
February 21, 2013
WEST TEXAS - State lawmakers are looking at several bills to help fund much needed water projects across the state and west Texas city leaders were in Austin this week making sure some of that funding comes to west Texas.
State lawmakers are considering a bill that would establish a water fund to help cities fund their water endeavors.
"They're taking some money out of the rainy day fund, I like to call it the not so rainy day fund, and they're going to put $2 billion over in this other pot of money and it will be available for loans for cities," said Mayor Wes Perry, City of Midland. He continues, “we would go to the board to borrow x amount of dollars, here are the terms they will offer to us and we would go through our project."
But deciding who gets the money is the challenge.
"There's issues of how do you prioritize, which project go to the top and receive funding," said Darrell Peckham, Hydrogeologist, Water Quest, Inc.
Which is why Midland Mayor Wes Perry along with several other west Texas mayors were in Austin to promote their $240 million project that could ensure the Tall City's water supply for the next 100 years. But the legislature has a big task at hand, first to pass the bills then divvy up the money. Hydrogeologist Darrell Peckham says one thing is for sure, water is a priority this session.
"This is a real push to try to work through some of the issues that the legislature has to address funding the water plan," said Peckham.