Three reasons you need to be at the 8th Annual Lone Star Water Forum! Surface water is fully allocated in the state and has been so since the passage and long- time implementation of the Water Rights Adjudication Act of 1967. Desalination of both brackish groundwater and sea water is certainly possible, but the people of Texas seem to see this technology as too expensive. Groundwater is the most readily available source to meet the needs of Texas growing population. 1. How groundwater transfer could affect you: Over the past 10 years cities across Texas have been growing at exponential rates leading to water shortages, especially in our drier years. This has lead our large cities to rural areas such as Austin and Burleson Counties with proposals for wells and pipelines that would supply Rosenberg and San Antonio, respectively. The residents of both counties were able to keep those well from being drilled and both counties have separate Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCD). 2. Know your rights on the issues at hand: At this year’s 8th Annual Lone Star Water Forum we will have four experts on water law, three of which have been recently representing clients in current issues. These experts will explain the value of groundwater in our state, groundwater rights as landowners, including the right to sell or lease water, and answer many questions regarding our water. They may also give us insight to firsthand accounts of situations facing other counties in Texas and what we may expect in the future. 3. Understand Groundwater Conservation Districts and the role of State agencies: The Manager of a Groundwater Conservation District (GCD) will explain his GCD’s permitting process and the experiences he has had since 2011, a remarkable drought year for our state. We also have the Deputy Executive Administrator of the Office of Water Science and Conservation at the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) who will explain the role of the TWDB in relation to ground water transfer and any other groundwater issues his office is facing.