Learn Your Water Footprint

By now we should all be getting the message: Conserve water. There’s a water shortage.

The hand writing is on the wall: aquifer pumping has become a concern in neighboring Doña Ana County. Since the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) has chosen to deliver more water sooner to Mexico, thus depriving Texas farmers, Texas State Agricultural Commissioner, Todd Staples, fired off a strong letter to the IBWC. You can see for yourself that the Rio Grande is dry. More water may not be released until June. EPWU CEO Ed Archuleta encouraged all of us in an El Paso Times op-ed piece to conserve more and to participate in the utility’s Less Is the New More program. For now, watering our yards twice a week is a suggestion. One wonders when it might have to become mandatory.

EPWU’s Less Is the New More program is a good one for all of us to get involved with. Do check out our water utility’s conservation page; and, as you do more spring planting, see their plant page.  Like and follow EPWU’s Facebook page.

Water conservation programs that encourage or require our watering our gardens less or using water-efficient shower heads are great short-term solutions to periodic drought. Even the Texas Department of Agriculture has a poll on its home page that suggests that conserving water is just a matter of using better appliances, fixing leaky faucets and taking shorter baths. What we have to realize is that water is embedded in everything that we use – the food we eat, the clothes that we wear, the gasoline that we put in our cars. We need to know our water footprint.  National Geographic has a water footprint calculator that educates as well as demonstrates how much water we use. Also visit the Water Footprint Network and try out their calculator.

Get to know Sandra Postel. Watch one of her videos on elpasonaturally and see more at YouTube. She knows about the concept of a water footprint.

One issue Postel raises is our need to irrigate our crop lands more efficiently. An elpasonaturally reader recently told me that Middle Eastern students visiting UTEP are always aghast at how we irrigate our fields and even the water-hungry crops that we grow. Note that only a handful of people can vote in the elections of board members of the El Paso Water Improvement District. Yet, your voice for water conservation and irrigation reform should be heard.

Read between the lines of Archuleta’s El Paso Times op-ed piece. If 50% of our water comes from our river, and if Caballo/Elephant Butte is down to 18%, then what happens to the draw rate on the Hueco Bolson and who’s water will we need? How much water farms require to grow water-hungry crops needs to be questioned especially now that the Rodriquez/Quintanilla bill cut 75,000 people out of public decisions on an essential public good – water. Your non-public Public Service Board and officers of EPWU endorsed that bill. Whose behind it? Big donors to Silvestre Reyes who control the EPWID whose general manager is Silvestre’s brother, “Chuy”.

I guess that there is no mistaking that I support Beto O’Rourke for Congress and am delighted by the EP Times endorsement. The recent pandering to local conservationists by Rep. Reyes on the issue of Castner Range was a big yawn. Beto gave a solid response.

I recently wrote an email to Jim Carrillo of Halff Associates, Inc. regarding the updating of the City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Master Plan. I posted that email on the blog and hope you will read it. I argue that, more than just recreation, Parks can help us to become more connected with nature.

Finally, elpasonaturally is saying more about bicycling. There are more activities in El Paso for Bike Month. Check them out.

O'Rourke Responds to Reyes Castner Chicanery

From Beto O'Rourke, candidate for Congress:

Dear Open Space Advocates:

I want to thank you for all of your work to preserve Castner Range. While I'm excited to see some movement on this issue at the federal level, it is clearly not enough. Instead of a suggestion to preserve Castner Range, we need a clear congressional directive to preserve Castner Range. We also need the funding to clean up the unexploded ordinance so that El Pasoans can enjoy hiking and biking this wonderful community asset.

I have worked with many of you to make conservation a priority in El Paso. We have developed Open Space plans, preserved major open space assets and put in place dedicated funding to preserve those natural spaces that matter to El Pasoans, like the Palisades. It is because of these community efforts that generations to come will be able to enjoy these rare special places. We need the same outcome for Castner Range.

Thanks again for your efforts and for your consideration. 

Sincerely,

Beto O'Rourke

Glad Beto Is Running

Most of you probably followed the excellent series in the El Paso Times about public corruption. You don’t even have to read between the lines to see the hand of current U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes in the midst of it. It’s good that Beto O’Rourke is running for that seat. Beto recently said how his support for conservation and environmental protection in our City and region is personal to him in an elpasonaturally blog post, Caring for the Environment and Conservation is Personal with Beto O'Rourke. Be sure to check out the Beto for Congress media page.

Silvestre’s brother is, of course, Chuy Reyes, the General Manager of the El Paso County Water Improvement District #1 that elpasonaturally has begun saying more about. The Reyes boys were behind a recent successful effort to pass a bill which disenfranchised 75,000 El Paso voters in the WID and placed the control of El Paso water into the hands of a few powerful farmers. Note the recent big donors to Silvestre Reyes: Skov and Stubbs.  Now see who is on the Board of Directors of the Water Improvement District: Skov and Stubbs. 

I recently was able to see a voting certificate of a member of the WID. This person registered late and yet has a low certificate number which probably means that no more than a thousand or less persons can now vote in the Water Improvement District as the result of Sen. Jose Rodriguez’s infamous bill. The voting card is valid for only one year and, after that, the voter will need to furnish ID and proof of ownership (water) in order to vote again. There are only two places for early voting. In short, the WID with the help of Sen. Jose Rodriguez and others has made it very difficult for the remaining voters to vote. I have emailed Mr. Jesus “Chuy” Reyes an open records request under the laws of the State of Texas asking for the current voting registration rolls. He has acknowledged receipt of my email.

Stay tuned to elpasonaturally for more on the large farmers who run EPWID and why your Public Service Board needs to be far more accountable to all of you – citizens of El Paso – the Public.

Still no word about the Sierra Club petition for an injunction to stop construction on the TxDOT Transmountain project. I say this with a bit of trepidation because, just as I say this, something might happen. I re-published the El Paso’s Sierra Club Chairman’s request for donations for the legal battle. What may have held up U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel from making a decision on this injunction is a ruling that he just made on a Planned Parenthood request for a preliminary injunction to allow it to continue serving women under a State of Texas program for low-income women.  Now that that decision has been made, perhaps action on the Sierra petition will come more quickly.

Also, no news to report about the NW Master Plan, methods to preserve the arroyos and a “conservation easement” to preserve the natural open space in perpetuity. Carlos Gallinar of City of El Paso Planning has been upfront always when reporting to the Open Space Advisory Board and when answering questions from the public. He has been very interested in Low Impact Development (LID) solutions for preserving arroyos. His interest and the Planning Department’s research about LIDs is just another good side benefit of the petition that seeks to preserve land in the Scenic Corridor of Transmountain.

In case you didn’t know, the City’s Environmental Services has a free mulch program. Mulch is a great way to conserve water by preserving soil moisture in your garden and with your landscape plants, shrubs and trees. Mulch is a great ground cover and will help control weeds. Also, over time as it breaks down, mulch will add nutrients back into the soil. Each of the Citizen Collection stations has mulch that you may pick-up. (Bring a shovel.) Environmental Services Director, Ellen Smyth, says that the mulch is free and that you do not need to show a water bill to get it. Environmental Services also has a great Mulching and Composting guide online. Be sure to read it.

Speaking about water conservation, there is still time to get a free water-efficient showerhead from EPWU. Details here. You must fill out the coupon sent with your water bill or download one from online.  Do visit, bookmark and surf EPWU’s Less is the New More water conservation tips page. There is great information here and a number of ways to save money.

I wish that I could visit the PSB/EPWU website and not find anything too egregious. Unfortunately, the current first entry on the home page describes land in the NW Master Plan/Scenic Transmountain Corridor as “PSB-owned land”. No sugar coating – it’s a lie and one they just can’t stop telling. It’s City of El Paso owned land – your land as a City – not the PSB’s but only managed by the PSB. Some of us hope that the day will come when managing City of El Paso land will be the prerogative of Planning and Development. Some of us hope that the day will come when we citizens stop subsidizing developers and sprawl by turning $500/acre desert land without water into $10,000/acre land with plumbed water and sewer.

Finally, congratulations to Judy Ackerman, this year’s recipient of the Frontera Land Alliance “Rock Award”.

Caring for the Environment and Conservation is Personal with Beto O'Rourke

Beto O'Rourke with friend, David Guinn, on a hike 

at Smuggler's Gap in the Franklins

(Click on each image to enlarge.)

Democratic U.S. Congressional candidate, Beto O'Rourke, has always been one of the great heroes to El Paso's conservation and environmental community. As he says below, "I understand at a personal level that these issues are deeply connected to quality of life for me, my family and this community."

Here is Beto O'Rourke on his love and work for conservation in the El Paso region:

"As a life-long El Pasoan I've spent countless hours hiking and walking in the Franklin Mountain State Park as well as in the arroyos, levees and open desert areas around town. I'm an avid back-packer and regularly take trips into the Gila and the Lincoln National Forest. Conservation and environment protection are not abstractions and working on these issues is not political gesture; I understand at a personal level that these issues are deeply connected to quality of life for me, my family and this community.

Beto and Amy with children 

at Celebration of Our Mountains Scenic Sunday event

Before I was elected to Council I joined neighborhood and community efforts to stop the re-permitting of ASARCO, and once I was on Council I did everything in my power to ensure that the smelter did not re-open. 

On Council I was the beneficiary of time spent with people like Charlie Wakeem and Rick Bonart who made sure I understood the importance of preserving arroyos, of favoring natural irrigation channels vs. concrete, and of preserving the greatest natural assets this community has. 

Conservation and environment protection are not abstractions and working on these issues is not political gesture; I understand at a personal level that these issues are deeply connected to quality of life for me, my family and this community.

I worked with them and others to preserve arroyos, protect important natural open space and push the envelope in the planning and development process to stop sprawl development. I also did my best to make sure that the Open Space Advisory Board kept its power to influence the direction that development took in El Paso in a positive way.

When the Chamber of Commerce and REDCO floated an idea to develop Castner Range, I helped ensure that the Council came out strongly against the proposal and strongly for preserving Castner in its entirety. 

I worked with Steve Ortega to write into ordinance that a percentage of all revenues from Stormwater fees were dedicated to open space preservation. This helped lead to the purchase of the Palisades trail system in the Crazy Cat area of the Franklins. 

I did my best to work with John Sproul and others who were trying to get additional water resources for Rio Bosque, even though it was not in my Council district. 

My dedication to open space preservation, to encouraging sustainable development, to protecting and promoting our natural assets will continue if I am elected to represent El Paso in the U.S. Congress." 

Backpacking to Hillsboro Peak in the Gila Wilderness

 Visit BetoforCongress.com. 

My dedication to open space preservation, to encouraging sustainable development, to protecting and promoting our natural assets will continue if I am elected to represent El Paso in the U.S. Congress." - Beto O'Rourke