Keep Earth Beautiful

Bear Springs Blossom Nature Conservation + Protection Bear Springs Blossom Nature Education + Lectures International charitable NON Profit organization

Future generations will judge us with unimaginable harshness if we fail to address the coming global catastrophe!

+Water is a finite resource in many places* said Tom Mason, former General Manager of LCRA on Sunday. +In the year 1860 600,000 people lived in Texas, in 1935, when LCRA was founded, 6 million people called Texas home, in 2010 Texas has about 25 million inhabitants.. "We need to find ways to meet water demands.." ".. we will have not enough water for what people want .." ".. people have to change the way they think about water" ".. we have to change our behavior!" Check out our Water Quiz! Water is life! Humans need water!

LCRA Considers Reducing Water for Rice Posted: 18 Sep 2011 04:06 PM PDT Late last week, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) announced that downstream rice farmers may soon be receiving less water unless is starts to rain. Due to the extensive drought, the combined storage of lakes Travis and Buchanan have been dropping precipitously and could drop to 640,000-680,000 acre-feet by January 1, 2012. This low level is perilously close to the 600,000 acre-foot mark making the conditions worse than the 1950s drought of record . With weather models predicting another dry year in front of us, LCRA is attempting to save as much water in the highland lakes as possible in case no rain comes. One way to do this is to reduce the one user who can legally lose water, agriculture. The LCRA is a permit holder to approximately to 2.1 million acre-feet/year of Colorado River water. They contract the water to various users including cities, industry and agriculture. These contracts can take two forms: 1) Firm water contract mean that water is available even during a severe drought. Cities, industries and electric power plants rely on firm water supplies. 2) Interruptible water is subject to rationing or curtailment first when there isn't enough for everyone. This type of contract is primarily used for agriculture Factors that LCRA will be taking into consideration include the combined lake storage levels at the beginning of the year as well as the weather projections. The hope is to avoid releasing water for the start of a crop if a later release to complete the crop season won't be possible. LCRA deems this a waste of water because the initial water is consumed, but the crop can't be realized. In order to reduce agricultural water or implement any other measure that deviates from the Water Management Plan , the LCRA has to seek approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. This issue and other potential drought management options will be discussed at LCRA's Water Operations Committee September 20th and the Board Meeting on September 24th. We will let you know what we hear. Conservation Tips Consumers can help by shutting off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances between 3 and 7 p.m., and delaying laundry and other activities requiring electricity-consuming appliances until later in the evening. Other conservation tips: Turn off all unnecessary lights, appliances, and electronic equipment. When at home, close blinds and drapes that get direct sun, set air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, and use fans in occupied rooms to feel cooler. When away from home, set air conditioning thermostats to 85 degrees and turn all fans off before you leave. Block the sun by closing blinds or drapes on windows that will get direct sun. Do not use your dishwasher, laundry equipment, hair dryers, coffee makers, or other home appliances during the peak hours of 3 to 7 p.m. Avoid opening refrigerators or freezers more than necessary. Use microwaves for cooking instead of an electric range or oven. Set your pool pump to run in the early morning or evening instead of the afternoon. Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible. Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes. CREZ SEEN AS AN ECONOMIC DRIVER FOR TEXAS A new report predicts 126,000 new jobs, $23 billion infusion from wind-related projects. Texas electric customers can expect to save up to $1 a day on their monthly bills and the state could realize as much as $23 billion a year in economic activity from the construction of the transmission lines and towers in the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones, a study released today shows. The report concludes that the CREZ project will result in nearly 126,000 permanent jobs while solidifying Texas’ position as the nation’s leader in wind-powered electric generation. Fuel prices don't influence wind energy, as more wind power becomes available on the market, it has a greater influence on wholesale market prices. The net result is a lower overall cost of electricity. Reductions in rates for residential, commercial, and industrial customers are possible. The Public Utility Commission is in the process of finalizing the routes for about 2,300 miles of transmission lines in the renewable energy zones to transport wind power from the Panhandle and West Texas to the state’s urban centers. The CREZ project is expected to cost nearly $5 billion and will be paid through a charge added to ratepayers’ bills that works out to an average of $4 a month. About LCRA The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is a nonprofit conservation and reclamation district that provides energy, water and community services to Texans. Created by the Texas Legislature in 1934, LCRA has no taxing authority and operates solely on utility revenues and service fees. LCRA supplies electricity to more than 1.1 million Texans through more than 40 wholesale customers. LCRA also provides many other services in the region. These services include managing floods, protecting the quality of the lower Colorado River and its tributaries, providing parks and recreational facilities, offering economic development assistance, operating water and wastewater utilities, and providing soil, energy, and water conservation programs. Air envelops the Earth and makes life possible. Humans breathe in about 35 pounds of air everyday! Many air molecules build up air pressure Some of air’s gases remain fairly constant. So you can see Air is more than just air. Most of all living being need it. When we produce air pollution we lower the quality of our air. If air pollution gets too high humans get sick or die.

Humans and all mammals need healthy air to survive! Air and water vapor = clouds

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