Rice farming and other agricultural operations are a critical part of the economy in the Gulf Coast Region of Texas. In the lower Colorado River basin, rainfall is too little and too unreliable to guarantee a good harvest, so irrigation has been the solution for more than a century. Coastal rice farmers began using the waters of the Colorado River in the 19th century, more than 40 years before the Highland Lakes were created.

LCRA today operates nine major pumping plants that supply water through a 1,100-mile network irrigation canals in portions of Matagorda, Wharton and Colorado counties. See map of irrigation service areas. The facilities, organized into four service areas — Gulf Coast, Lakeside, Garwood and Pierce Ranch — are capable of transporting water to 91,500 acres annually.

Thumbnail image of rice irrigation districts in the lower Colorado River basin. See full map.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Texas among nation's top growers
Texas usually ranks as the nation's fourth or fifth highest producing rice-growing state, producing about 7 percent of the nation's supply. (See the U.S. Agriculture Department's rice briefing.) Most Texas rice is grown near the Colorado River in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties. Texas rice farmers count on this water to irrigate land along the Gulf Coast. In addition to rice farmers, customers include a significant number of row-crop farmers, turf grass growers, industries and commercial operations.

Over the years, LCRA acquired three irrigation systems from private operators: Gulf Coast in 1960, Lakeside in 1982 and Garwood in 1998. Through these acquisitions and the purchase of the Pierce Ranch water rights, LCRA holds senior water rights for direct diversion of water from the Colorado River. The water rights allow the operations to pump water from the river without calling upon LCRA to release water from storage. Often, in the height of the growing season, river flows are insufficient and LCRA makes up the deficit by using water stored in the Highland Lakes. This is sometimes difficult to understand for Central Texans wanting to enjoy recreation on the lakes.

State laws, historical factors
Why does LCRA release stored water for agricultural irrigation if it may interfere with recreation on the Highland Lakes? LCRA has longstanding responsibilities to deliver water to rice farmers for two basic reasons:

• Texas law declares that the state must give preference to certain types of water uses when granting water rights. LCRA's practice of giving preference to downstream rice farmers when distributing interruptible stored water — a water supply that is curtailed during water shortages — is consistent with the Texas Legislature's directive. The contracts for this water are negotiated during development of the LCRA Water Management Plan, which is subject to state approval.
• According to state water law, first in time is first in right. Downstream rice farmers were given first water rights in the Colorado basin, and these rights are senior to LCRA's water rights for the Highland Lakes. In fact, without the support of the rice farmers, the Highland Lakes and dams might never have been built. Rice farmers were among the strongest supporters of building the Highland Lakes and dams in the 1930s. They recognized the value of the dams in easing flooding and making water available during droughts.

The demand on the Highland Lakes for stored water for irrigation varies greatly from year to year, based on rainfall and the amount of acreage planted. The amount of acreage planted each year also can vary a great deal, depending on national and global trends. World market prices and production trends, domestic consumption, and price and trade policies all greatly affect the Texas rice industry — and its demand for water.