Opinion

Letters: Searching for water solutions

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Water pipeline

Regarding "Desalination could help solve Texas water woes" (Page B7, Friday), state Rep. Bill Callegari paid little attention to the idea of the transferal of water from the Mississippi River to reservoirs in Texas. Certainly the cost of a pipeline from the Mississippi would be expensive, but the engineering is not impossible.

If the petroleum industry can transport gasoline 2,500 miles from refineries in Texas to New Jersey, we should be able to transport water from the Mississippi River to Texas. That is one idea, and here is a second: It would seem to me that the logical place to start to use the desalinization plants would be in refineries in the coastal areas. Refineries have an excess of Btus that are generated in the process of refining oil, and if those Btus were captured to be used in the desalinization process, that would be a good thing for both the refinery and the public.

Of course, if the oil industry were to undertake this endeavor it would need approval from both the public and the EPA because it might be perceived that oil companies are getting something for nothing. Perhaps the use of waste heat from refineries might be the answer to a lot of problems, both from a social problem (pollution) and a technical problem (excess heat in the refinery). Certainly the engineers at the oil companies can develop programs that would integrate desalination with the operating procedures and systems in the refineries.

Lawrence Keen, Pearland

Restrictions

State Rep. Bill Callegari's decision to enter public service a few years ago could not have come at a better time for Texans. His many years in the private sector operating water districts prepared him well to help head off a coming water crisis.

At the end of his desalination essay, he mentions new reservoirs and improved water conservation as key components to increase our water supply. While desalination plants and new reservoirs are decades down the road, smarter water conservation efforts can begin today.

Most of our potable water is used for irrigation. I cannot tell you what percentage of that water is used to water our St. Augustine lawns, but I would venture a guess that it's in excess of 50 percent. And we do harm to our lawns by overwatering them.

St. Augustine grass needs to put down deep roots to survive dry periods, but we short-circuit that by overwatering. If we reach a point of mandatory water restrictions, St. Augustine with shallow roots cannot survive.

I would suggest an education program similar to the "Don't Mess With Texas" campaign. Perhaps Texas A&M could provide the data and a plan for homeowners to implement. Then the media could pass it along to us. After the drought of 2011, many Texans are looking for ways to conserve.

Doyle Reynolds, Missouri City