TPWD Film: Watching the Rivers Flow

When the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department gave legislators a sneak preview of its new documentary, Texas: The State of Flowing Water, it wasn't just an excuse for some scenic photography. "Water for wildlife is water for people," Texas Parks and Wildlife Com­mis­sion Chairman Peter Holt told lawmakers and environmentalists at Univerity of Texas-Austin's new AT&T Conference Center on Jan. 21. "These things are inseparable."

Each session, the Legislature deals with dozens of water bills focused on individual water districts. Now pressure is on them to build a comprehensive, statewide water plan, balancing demand and conservation. In 2001, the Lege passed Senate Bill 2, creating the Texas Water Advisory Council and establishing an integrated water policy that TPWD staffers are optimistic will continue this session. TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith said that while current shortages get headlines, "We need to be planning for the future of our water resources, whether it's raining or we're in the throes of a dead drought."

The big concern, and the central issue in the documentary, is "environmental flow." That's the technical term for ensuring that enough water is moving through rivers and ponds to keep them viable: Take too much out upstream, and supplies and ecosystems downstream disappear. In 2007, the Lege passed two big bills (Hous Bill 3 and SB 3) establishing the Environmental Flows Allo­ca­tion Process and bringing agencies, including TPWD and the Texas Commission on Envi­ron­ment­al Quality, together on the new Environmental Flows Advisory Group. Now legislators must consider the group's findings and build new policy. (Echoing President Barack Obama's inaugural speech, Holt promised that "sound science will be our guide.") "Everyone understands the value of protecting environmental flow," Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter Director Ken Kramer said. "The only question now is how."

As the population of Texas swells and becomes increasingly urbanized, legislators are worried that residents will regard essential natural resources such as water as unlimited. During its Sunset Advisory Com­mission review, TPWD was advised to work with other departments to reverse this trend in poor education. While staff hopes this documentary will help, department spokesman Tom Har­vey encourages Texans to use and appreciate the state's waterways. He added, "If you don't do anything else, get out there and paddle."

Texas: The State of Flowing Water airs on PBS stations around the state, including KLRU in Austin, at 8pm Thursday, Feb. 12. For more info, see www.texasthestateofwater.org.